Team WBRN: Black Reaper ll
by Vengfulfate
Summary: Black Reaper AU - Strawberry Ice Cream - Checkmate - Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Reaper Rose. Neopolitan. The four girls have been through a lot in the past year. Done with the troubles of the recent past, they look forward to a more normal life as Beacon students. If only trouble was done with them... Sequel to my popular story, Black Reaper!
1. The Big Test

Act 1  
A New Leaf's Struggle

Neo woke to the cell. She wasn't exactly a fan of this place, but it was the price to pay. She couldn't go straight to Beacon as Reaper did, so here she was, stuck in a cell designed to nullify her teleportation semblance. Not that she would try to escape even if her cell was an open field. _No, not with Reaper waiting for me at Beacon…_ A smile played over the multi-colored girl's lips. Part of her couldn't believe she finally had Reaper, all to herself. Nothing made her happier.

Except, maybe, the times she actually got to be with Reaper. Like now, when the ex-criminal, huntress in training formerly known as Ruby Rose rushed into the prison to spend the visiting hours helping Neo study for the test. There was a deadline now, yes, but still no idea what the test would actually entail. And they both needed to pass it if they wanted to be third-year students, and not hold back Weiss and Blake.

"Hey, Neo." Reaper greeted her with a smile. When Weiss and Blake finally caught up, they saw Reaper behind the glass with Neo.

"It's difficult to tell if they're really into the studying, or trying to literally melt into each other." Blake noted, pointing to the two ex-criminals who were shoulder-to-shoulder, looking over the same paper. They likely didn't realize how close they were. Well, Reaper might not have, but Neo was more than content to drape some of Reaper's excessive cloak over her own shoulders. She pointed at the paper by poking one of her petite fingers through one of the multitude of tiny holes worn into the bottom inch of the cape where it dragged on the ground.

"How are you doing Neo?" Blake asked, loud enough for the pair inside the cell to hear this time. She looked up and smiled brightly.

Weiss noticed Blake actively reaching out to Neo. She knew she should do the same, but this entire situation was a bit _too_ strange for the heiress just yet, and she found it difficult.

"How's the studying going?" Blake continued. Neo made a series of gestures, mainly with her eyes and head. The Checkmate pair looked to Reaper expectantly.

"It could be going better, but we feel confident." Reaper translated.

"What are you having trouble with?" Weiss asked. Neo made another undecipherable gesture, and the others looked to Reaper once again.

"A little bit of everything." Reaper translated, without looking up from the paper.

So it went for the past few weeks. Anytime Neo had anything to 'say', Reaper had to translate her 'speaking'. Weiss and Blake had no idea how Reaper ever managed to interpret her small friend in the first place, and how much observation it took. _Observation she probably didn't even know she was doing, given how hard she denied her feelings for the longest time._ Blake considered.

And it drove Weiss mad. "That's it!" She shouted, out of the blue. "I'll be right back! Blake, you have Reaper."

"Um, okay?" Blake threw her girlfriend a confused look as the heiress left.

Reaper and Neo watched her with confusion as well.

 _ **What was that about?**_

"I don't know, Ember…" Reaper replied to that voice that grew within her head.

 _What is her problem?_ Neo wondered.

"I don't know that either, Neo." Reaper responded.

Blake stared on in amazement. _This woman can have an entire three-way conversation with only two people and one voice._

Nearly an hour passed before Weiss finally returned, a large shopping bag from the local library in her hand. "Alright, Neo. We need to get something straight." Weiss opened up before anyone could question her. Neo nodded, one of the few gestures Weiss could read. Which was part of the problem. "If we are going to be on a team, we all need to be able to talk to you, and not through Reaper. So we are _all_ going to learn…" The heiress pulled various books and discs out of the bag, which all had a common theme. "Sign language. That way Neo can talk to _all_ of us, and we will understand."

The three others stared at the various teaching aides, and sighed. Even Blake didn't want to spend the time to learn sign language, but Weiss was right. They needed an efficient, reliable way to communicate with their new mute team mate. Besides, with Weiss as team leader now, they really didn't have much of a choice if she really wanted them to take this path.

Neo looked up to Reaper. Reaper looked back and smiled. "Think of it this way. Weiss is so sure you'll be on our team, that she's already taking precautions." Neo thought about, nodded, and smiled.

"Only because all of my luck has been that bad lately…" Weiss shot. Reaper was about to stand up, before Neo stopped her. The scythe master may have missed it, but the ice cream girl certainly noticed the small smile the heiress tried to hide.

Reaper looked to Neo, back to Weiss, then to the paper. "We still got a lot of this to get through, Neo. You ready?"

 _Always_ , Neo nodded.

* * *

Glynda rode down the elevator with Ozpin. The fateful day was here. The day to see if criminals officially joined Beacon. "This cannot be a good idea, headmaster." Glynda offered her two cents yet again.

And yet again, Ozpin replied patiently. "I trust them, Glynda. You haven't seen everything I have seen. I don't believe I have ever been so involved in a student's life since I was coming through here myself."

"Criminal. Not student."

"I'm surprised you are suddenly so against Reaper. She seems to get on fine in your class."

"Well, that was before she decided to invite a friend. How long before the school is overrun with them?"

"Given the entire purpose of 'Rehabilitative Custody' wouldn't that actually be a good thing?"

"The purpose of your little act was to get Reaper back. The rest of it was dumb luck."

"Perhaps." Ozpin silently agreed with a smile.

The doors finally slid open, and revealed a basement that had been made into a makeshift classroom with only two seats, both currently occupied. "Oh!" Reaper dug in her pockets. "I have something to show you!" She excitedly informed Neo. She handed the small girl a piece of paper. Neo read it and looked up with a smile that said _Really!?_ "Yup!" Reaper announced, taking back the identification sheet that said she was officially named Reaper Rose. "Weiss took me to the notary the other day, I just got this in the mail this morning!"

"I doubt it will solve your problem overnight. There are still many who knew you before your… transition." Ozpin informed her.

 _ **Way to spoil a mood, Ozzy.**_

Reaper crossed her arms and pouted. "Way to spoil a mood, Ozzy."

"Ozzy?" Glynda asked in surprise. Neo giggled at the nickname.

Ozpin chuckled himself and laid the tests in front of the two girls. "Good luck."

The two hopeful students turned serious as they spotted the worksheets. They got right to work while Glynda watched over them.

* * *

Weiss and Blake waited a few floors up, using Ozpin's office as a waiting room. Blake was nervous, wondering on the off-chance that the two below didn't pass the test. Weiss was less so, confident she did all she could to help the pair, and they all got a head start on their sign language at the same time. She was simply tired and wanted to fast-forward to the end of this ordeal.

After an hour and a half, the doors slid open to reveal Reaper with her cape wrapped around a nerve-wracked Neo. The pair stepped into the waiting room and greeted the others. They all fell silent quickly enough, simply waiting for the results. Weiss watched the pair carefully and made an observation. "Does Neo seem a little… timid… to you?" She whispered to Blake, too quietly for the ex-criminal pair to hear.

"Well…" Blake responded equally quietly. "We've seen her in battle, yes, but we don't really know much of her out of combat. Maybe she's always like this? Didn't Reaper say something about her 'not doing well on her own?'"

"Whenever we did see her, I got the feeling that she was confident, though… smug, even. But now… that's not the impression I get." Weiss continued. "She's almost… meek."

"Well, she's completely changing her life. The only constant left is Reaper. Given their… whatever it is, they have going on now, maybe she just wants to stay close to her… or…" Blake formed a hypothesis. "Maybe she doesn't really know how to act when she's not a criminal. Maybe the smugness was a front to keep her afloat in the underworld… intimidation is a big thing there, and someone like her would need a lot of it. Now that she doesn't need it, she's relying on Reaper to learn how to operate outside of battle, on this side of the law."

"And Reaper, whether conscious of it or not, is more than happy to play her protector." Weiss finished the hypothesis. "This is going to get interesting… and that's probably a bad thing…"

At that moment, the elevator dinged. Ozpin stepped out with the results in his hand. The girls held their breath as he made his way to his desk and booted his computer. He entered the results and did a few other things, before looking their way. "Are you ready?"

"No." Reaper told him honestly. "Lay it on us."

"Well, Neo passed flying almost as many colors as she wears…" Ozpin joked. "And Reaper…"

They all started to look worried, noting his drop off. Until he smiled. "Also passed. Good job, the both of you."

They let out a sigh of relief. Neo smiled up at her dear friend. They were here to stay, and here with each other. She knew Reaper cared more about actually being a huntress than she did, and was happy Reaper had another chance to live her dream. Reaper looked back down, and smiled. She understood her small friend was more concerned with staying with her than actually being a huntress, but she didn't care. The life of a huntress was still going to be better with Neo at her side.

"There are a few more things we have to attend to." Ozpin called the girls' attentions. "First of all, Weiss is still the leader and ultimate authority in your group. Neo will have to abide by the same restrictions as Reaper, until a point where it is beyond a doubt you are 'Rehabilitated' and can enjoy schooling as free women."

The group nodded.

"Also, there is the matter of your team name. A subject I have been looking into since Reaper first came to me with Neo." Ozpin entered commands on his computer, making a screen appear for the huntresses with their pictured on it. "I have settled on team 'Auburn'. Somehow fitting."

The pictures on the screen arranged themselves as Weiss first, followed by Blake, Reaper, and finally Neo.

"Team WBRN…" Weiss tested the name on her tongue. _A darker version of red, as opposed to 'ruby'…_ "We'll get used to it, right team?"

"Right." Blake agreed.

"Of course." Reaper nodded.

'We got this!' Neo conveyed, testing her sign language. Thankfully, she had taken to it with natural talent.

Weiss smiled. "I just hope Beacon is ready for us."

"That… is actually a frighteningly genuine concern." Ozpin realized, his eyes going wide.

* * *

Neo had one last night in a cell before the newly christened 'Team WBRN' came to pick her up. So, of course, she was far too excited to actually get any sleep throughout the whole night. She stayed up, trying to imagine all the things that could happen over the next year and a half. Schooling at Beacon was definitely going to be a different experience. Of course, the longer she thought, the more she overthought, and was yet again a nervous wreck by the time her team actually came to pick her up.

Reaper chuckled and shook her head when she saw her. "Come on, Ice Cream Cup." She grabbed her hand and helped her onto her feet. "Let's go home."

Weiss and Blake guided the group all the way back to Beacon. The whole way Blake watched the pair. They seemed on edge, as if there was something they wanted to do, and they spent the whole way back hesitating. She frowned. _They haven't gotten any alone time since they started their… whatever it is._ Blake resolved to help them out a little as they arrived at Beacon.

"Finally, we got through the last of this crap." Weiss breathed a sigh of relief and she stepped into the dorm room.

"Hey, let's catch a moment for us, okay?" Blake asked Weiss.

"But I'm tired…" Weiss pouted. Blake elbowed her and stealthily pointed to the two ex-criminals. "Seriously…" Weiss whispered, mostly to herself. "Hey, Reaper, Blake and I are going to catch a meal."

"What are we having?" Reaper asked, oblivious.

" _We_ are having a private dinner." Blake pointed out, pushing the heiress out the door. "Don't have too much fun." She tossed on a tease as she closed the door.

Reaper and Neo were left alone for the first time since the last lunch they attended, just before going to Ozpin. "So… we're finally here." Reaper told her.

'Yes, we are.' Neo signed. She liked using it even when it was just her and Reaper, to practice, and because it was more precise.

She was about to sign something else, but Reaper caught her by the mouth _._ Quite by surprise, though it's not as though Neo was about to argue. Once again she felt the same emotional high from the day they first kissed for real, and she knew Reaper was feeling it too. They broke off as suddenly as they started, breathing hard.

"Sorry, Neo…" Reaper apologized. "Kinda hard to hold back now that I… accept my feelings. Now that I have you."

Neo smirked and gave Reaper sultry eyes. The scythe master didn't need her lover to sign in order to get that message loud and clear. _Shut up and kiss me again._

And so they did. Again and again. Reaper began to push the multi-colored huntress-to-be onto her bed, they one they were now going to share. It was Ember, surprisingly enough, that stopped them by being the voice of reason.

 _ **Not to spoil a good time, but I don't think any of us want to get caught by Weiss and Blake.**_

Reaper broke off again with a frown. "Ember just brought up a really good point. If Weiss and Blake, especially Weiss, caught us 'in the act', there would likely be hell to pay."

Neo frowned and freed her hands. 'I'm pretty sure Ice Queen knows we will be sexually active.'

 _ **Always so subtle, aren't you?**_

"Very subtle, Ice Cream Cup." Reaper dryly replied. "Still, we don't know how long their dinner is, and, well… I could very easily get lost in 'it' with you."

Neo blushed, receiving the more romantic implications behind that remark. 'I understand.' Neo signed, but she made it clear how reluctant she was about agreeing. Neo tried to get up, but was held in place by strong arms.

"Hey, doesn't mean I'm gunna let you go. Just means we're gunna stay dressed tonight is all." Reaper told her, bringing Neo into the 'little spoon' position. Neo smiled and let it happen.

When Weiss and Blake did return later that night, Weiss immediately opened with, "Well, there's no point in trying to get Neo her own bed, is there?"

"Yeah, there's no reason to have any pretense about it. Even if we tried to make her use her own bed, I'd still probably wake up with Neo in my arms." Reaper pointed out.

"What if Neo wanted to try?" Blake asked, out of curiosity.

'Not that I ever would,' Neo signed, to have the clarification out there.

"Hmm…" Reaper thought. "At this point, I'm not sure I would let her." She decided with a smirk.

"Oye… Just… try not to let us catch you doing… 'the do'…" Weiss told them. Reaper got a good laugh from the wording the heiress chose.

"Told you." Reaper managed after her laughing fit.

Weiss didn't even bother interpreting that statement. "Well, we all have classes tomorrow, as the official third year team, WBRN." She announced. "We're going to need sleep."

The group all nodded and Weiss and Blake made their way to their own bed. Neo nested into Ruby, feeling the girl's chest push into her back with each steady breath. From where she was, Neo could almost hear the scythe master's heartbeat. _I'm actually looking forward to my first day._ The small girl realized. _I wonder what will happen…_

* * *

 **Back in the saddle again! I'm so excited to finally be back in this world! Drama! Violence! Heavily Implied Naughtiness! It all awaits us once again! This first act will be 7 chapters. 7 weeks of BR2 goodness! (although, i might not be around internet to make the update next week. If chapter 2 doesn't come next weekend as it should, expect it by late the following Wednesday. I'm going to try to keep to a Saturday schedule, but as with Addiction, my job may interrupt that) Favorite, Follow, Review, and most importantly, Enjoy! And have fun! I'm sure I will.**


	2. Neo's first day, pt 1

Neo woke up that morning to a rough bit of shaking. She opened one eye slowly and pointed it, full of anger, at her assailant.

"Good Morning, Neo." Blake said, not letting herself get put off by the hostility. _Not a morning person, eh?_ "Reaper's in the shower. You better get up if you want one too."

Neo's next gesture was plain and clear, even to anyone who didn't know sign language. She curled the single raised finger back into her fist and shoved it under her pillow. She was shaken once more a moment later. Or so it felt, except it was by a fully showered and dressed Reaper this time. "Neo, it's really time to get up."

 _Can I afford to miss my first day of school?_ Neo seriously considered it.

 _I suppose this is the price she pays for not getting any sleep in the cell night before last…_ Reaper frowned. "All right, you leave me no choice."

Suddenly, Neo was being lifted into the air. She was jolted awake in a panic as she was tossed over the scythe master's shoulder and carried into the bathroom. "Sorry, Ice Cream Cup." Reaper set Neo on her feet in the shower. "Better hurry, or we might miss breakfast. Blake already went, but Weiss won't leave without both of us."

Neo shook the last vestige of sleep off of her and nodded. _I hope this isn't what every morning is going to be like…_ She lamented as she undressed and showered quickly. When she got out, she was redressed in her PJ's (well, Reaper's old ones from when she was still 'Ruby', but hers now), not having her newly issued uniform on her when she was dragged into the bathroom. "How quick of a dresser are you?" Weiss asked, obviously concerned at how rushed they were thanks to the multi-colored girl.

Neo set her hands on her hips and winked. Weiss was confused by the answer, until the lightshow started. Neo examined Weiss and Reaper to get the feel of the outfit before layering an illusion over her PJ's. She decided for the black-legging variant for her legs over the white socks, and made her trim pink. Weiss looked over the uniform in amazement, going so far as to poke at Neo. "Wow… That's a really good illusion…"

'Of course it is.'Neo signed. 'It's mine after all.'

Reaper stepped up to her pint-sized lover with a smile. "That will probably come in handy more often than Weiss hopes." She joked. "How do you feel about your first day?"

'I've been second in charge of a criminal organization for years.' Neo signed on her way out the door. 'We've fought with and against terrorists and monsters, even managed to bring down a cyborg brute with an aversion to flesh-wounds. School should be cake, comparatively.'

"Well, glad to see you're feeling confident." Weiss noted. "Hopefully it works for you."

Neo knew the school food here inside and out. Still, this was the first time she ever stepped into the spacious mess hall. There were students everywhere, and Neo finally felt the first sting of nerves. She was among the largest group of people actively fighting on the 'good' side of the law she had ever been in. She knew she was also on that 'good' side now too, but long-trained instincts are hard to suppress.

"Hey." Reaper laid her arm over Neo's shoulder, seeing her turmoil. "No one here really knows who you even are. They just see a new student with bright hair. Most of them probably won't ever know you, or your past."

Neo took a deep breath, considering Reaper's words. She looked back up to her black-clad lover and smiled. Her smile disappeared and she looked straight to her feet. Then back up to Reaper, then down to her feet, before looking straight ahead, crossing her arms, and pouting.

Weiss watched this display with curiosity. It increased when Reaper did the same visual check of Neo's feet before laughing. "What's so funny?" Weiss couldn't keep herself from asking.

"Nothing, Weiss…" Reaper managed. Neo's pout increased as Reaper laughed, and she soon stomped off to find the food, leaving Reaper behind. "Wait, Neo! I'm sorry! I couldn't… Oh crap…" Reaper giggled a little more. "She can't wear her excessive heels while in uniform." She finally explained to the heiress.

Weiss looked Neo's way and couldn't help but give a little giggle. _Looks like I'm no longer the shortest one on the team._ "Well, we should find Blake. I'm sure Neo can locate you in crowd of fake 'yous'."

As Weiss and Reaper found Blake, Neo found all the food. She ogled the sheer amount of all the tasty things Reaper used to deliver for her. The only thing that stopped her from taking triple helpings of everything was the fact that there were still so many students who needed to eat. She couldn't be _too_ selfish in this new life. _I think I can afford to be a little selfish, though._ She thought to herself and smiled as she loaded her plate with one, massive helping of nearly everything.

Neo turned quickly, eager to return to Reaper's side, and accidentely bumped into someone in the process. Her food when everywhere, mostly on the clothing of Neo and the person she bumped into. She scolded herself at the loss of her food, and was about to give a rough eye-scolding to the person who ran into her… well she ran into… still, they were a little at fault, right? Neo's eyes came level with the individual now covered in what would have been her food, and all her accusations died within her.

A small amount of mashed potatoes went airborne again as two large, brown rabbit ears with rigid. "What are you doing here…?"

 _Oh crap…_ Neo's eyes went as wide as Velvet's. The muti-colored girl had no idea what to do… in the past, the bunny would already be bleeding, but Neo couldn't do that anymore… in fact, they only thing she could do was refer to someone who might know. (Which roughly translates into, _run like fuck until she found and hid behind Reaper._ )

Reaper easily spotted the tri-colored hair bouncing her way with speed. "Forgive me already?" Reaper joked. Then she saw Neo's panicked face. "Uh oh, what's wrong?"

Neo furiously signed _rabbit_ over and over again. "Rabbit? Why would you be scared of a… oh…" Reaper looked up in time to see Velvet running their way. She quickly pushed Neo behind her, keeping a hand on her small lover.

Velvet ran up and came to a stop in front of the ex-criminal pair. "What is she doing here!?" She shot her accusation Reaper's way.

"Neo is here under the same program I am." Reaper told her. "She's here to turn her life around."

"She tried to kill me, twice!" Velvet screamed, catching the attention of nearby students.

"And I've killed a lot more people than you probably ever want to hear!" Reaper shot back, her eyes tinting red. The loud confession drew in more spectators. "But I'm still here. Neo is here to stay. Besides, it's not like she's going to try and kill you again, right?" Reaper squeezes the small girl's shoulder, who nodded fervently.

"I don't trust her." Velvet spoke with venom.

"Hey, what's going on? Who's this?" Sun ran up at that moment.

"This is the woman who tried to kill me twice, who dragged R-…" Velvet hesitated. Sun looked over Neo in confusion.

Reaper stared at Velvet. _Who dragged Ruby down… that what she was going to say… so that's what this is about…_ Her eyes tinted darker, and she could feel Ember on the wings, ready to stop them from going wild. _What right does she have… why can't she just move on…_ Reaper decided to shock Velvet. She brought her arm completely around Neo and pulled her close. "Velv… Neo is here with me. She's no danger, to you or anyone here. I promise."

Velvet looked between the two with realization growing in her eyes. _I feel like I'm going to be sick…_ "Excuse me…" The rabbit faunus trotted away to the bathroom, leaving Sun behind.

Reaper sighed deeply, and Neo and Sun shared a look of common understanding. It was clear to both of them that Reaper and Velvet still had lingering feelings for each other. Or more accurately, Velvet still felt for 'Ruby' while Reaper was trying to soften the crash and burn they had turned into, hoping to keep a friendship intact on the other side. "I'm gunna go… wait for her at the bathroom door." Sun told them before walking off.

Neo sat down while Reaper went to get food for the both of them. After all that, they wouldn't really have a lot of time to eat before classes. Not that either was very hungry after that. When the bell rang, both of the ex-criminal's plates were still untouched.

* * *

Neo remembered the last time she sat in on Beacon classes. There were pros and cons to be found in comparing the experiences. As far as pros, she didn't have to stay invisible the whole day, now that she was actually _supposed_ to be here. On the cons side, however, was the fact that since she was supposed to be here now, the teachers were all too happy to try and involve her.

The first class was Grimm Studies with the pudgy man, who's width was only matched by the magnificence of his mustache, though both were _far_ surpassed by the man's ego. "Well, it seems we have a new student with us today!" he announced as the bell rang. "Miss… Neopolitan… no last name. curious. Why don't you come to the front and introduce yourself?" Port gestured to the space next to him behind the desk.

The class looked to Neo expectantly, and the multi-colored girl looked to Reaper for help. The scythe master thought of something on the spot. "Umm… Neo's mute! Yeah! So she can't really talk to the class."

"Well, how does she communicate with your team?" Port asked.

"Sign language." Weiss answered quickly, taking the opportunity to unleash some of her repressed spite. "Reaper could always translate to the class?"

"What a wonderful idea! Ms. Rose has been woefully un-interactive with the class since her own return." Port nodded triumphantly.

Reaper grumbled words of betrayal under her breath, pointed at Weiss, who only smirked. The ex-criminal pair soon stood up front. When they looked to each other, an idea sparked between them. A few silent gestures confirmed between them that they were on the same page. When Weiss saw the devious smiles grow on their faces, she immediately began regretting her moment of weakness. _What on earth are they planning?_

"Hello," Reaper began, watching Neo sign. The cloaked huntress had to suppress laughter as she continued 'translating'. "My name in Neopolitan, and I have joined Beacon under the Rehabilitative Custody program."

Weiss face palmed, Blake just stared, and someone else who must have known sign language began snickering quietly behind them. What Reaper was saying was just fine, but not at all what Neo was signing. Things like _Did you ever consider how kinky you could be with a unicorn?_ and _The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell_ were spouted in equal measure. Any inane thing that came to Neo's mind was signed, and Reaper barely managed to get through the 'introduction' without bursting into laughter.

When they finally got out of that class, the one kid from the back that knew sign language high fived the duo. Weiss was utterly defeated. The one time she thought she got a little payback for all the headaches these two had given her lately, and they turned it into a joke Yang would have been proud of. And another headache. She was just glad Port didn't know sign language.

Again, Neo more or less zoned out throughout the next few classes, paying enough attention to pick up what the classes were about, but not really enough to learn anything. She was going to have to work on that, she realized. For now, though, she just worked on a plan to get her a Reaper all the 'alone time' they could possibly need tonight.

The next class she was coherent for was Doctor Oobleck's history class. The green human accelerator was just as intriguing to watch as before. Interestingly enough, she also found it was actually helping her pay attention to the class itself. By the time they got out of that one, she was actually confident she would enjoy and do well in that particular class.

* * *

The day was getting better since the disaster at breakfast. And then Lunch hit. At the end of it all, Neo would find herself wondering if they should just avoid the mess hall in the future, and Reaper would likely seriously consider finding their old table. But they were still happy at the moment, with no indication anything would go wrong.

Again, Neo had to get up alone, this time to refill her drink halfway through the half-hour. When she didn't return after a while, Reaper had a bad feeling in her gut, and decided to go find her. Weiss was off in the bathroom, so she told Blake she would be right back. Blake, ever the trusting one, simply nodded and let her go.

What Velvet pulled that morning was refreshed in her mind, and her eyes tinted again. When she finally found Neo, what she saw pushed her over the edge. Ember had to take over to stop Reaper from killing Cardin, who was currently giving Neo very unwanted attention.

"Hello, little girl." He said. "What are you doing here all alone?"

Neo tried to get away, but Cardin pushed her back into place. Again, Neo was afraid to retaliate, afraid what it would do to her Rehabilitative Custody. She didn't want to lose this opportunity, her chance with Reaper, because of quarrels and bullies. Without a voice, she couldn't tell Cardin off, though, and she was starting to think the bully was aware of that fact.

"Maybe we can have a little fun?" He teased.

"I'm not hearing a 'no'." Russel joined in, chuckling.

"You're right, Russ… No 'no' from our little girl here must be a 'yes', right Dove?" Cardin smirked.

" **How about a 'no' from me, asshole?** " The voice made them all jump.

Cardin looked between Ember and Neo, coming to a frightening conclusion. "Are, um… you and her… friends?"

" **More than that, ass-jacket.** " Ember shoved him against the wall. His team mates all had scurried off already, and Neo stuck around to watch the show. " **And now, you've royally pissed us off. Now, we're trying not to kill people, but…** " Ember pulled a handful of plastic forks and spoons out of her pocket. " **There are other things we are** _ **very**_ **willing to do…** "


	3. Neo's first day, pt 2

Weiss found the table once again after she finished in the bathroom. When she only saw Blake alone, she started worrying immediately. _Watching over Reaper alone wasn't actually that bad, but both of them at once? This is like babysitting times a million…_ "Where are they?"

Blake looked up at her girlfriend. "Neo went for a drink, and was gone long enough to concern Reaper. She went after her. At this point, I assume they found something else that bothered them and they just decided to leave the cafeteria."

"Blake, don't you think you're being a little too lenient with them?" Weiss scolded.

"Maybe you're a little strict? You're not their warden, Weiss. You only have to watch them on missions and if we go into Vale. You weren't this bent out of shape when it was just Reaper." Blake countered.

"But that's exactly the point." Weiss stated. "Neopolitan is Reaper's friend from 'that' life… the one where she robbed and killed people."

"Neo came here to be with the Reaper that decided to stop doing all that." Blake pointed out. "They're not going to start fights."

"I'm not worried about them starting fights." Weiss admitted. "But I doubt they would shy away from one if it came at them, either. God knows what the jack-ass idiots in this school will try to pull because they're criminals."

"Will Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna please report to Professor Ozpin's office?" The intercom buzzed, almost as if to punctuate Weiss's point.

"Oh no…" Blake lamented.

"Oh brother…" Weiss fumed.

* * *

"What on earth did you two pull!?" Were the very first words out of Weiss's mouth the second she spotted the ex-criminal pair in Ozpins office. "It's only your _first day_ out of prison, Neo! And you're getting in trouble already!?"

"Neopolitan is not in trouble today, Ms. Schnee." Ozpin entered the office at this moment. "It is just Reaper who we need to discuss."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the scythe master. "What did you do?"

Reaper looked from Weiss to Neo, and back again with a smirk. "Interior decorating?"

"Interior- what?" Weiss was confused. Neo silently chuckled at the description.

"Neopolitan," Ozpin interjected, "was targeted by Cardin. Reaper found them quickly enough, and acted in her defense. Cardin is currently in the medical wing, having a dozen various plastic-ware cutlery removed from his… rectal cavity. I hear he will make a full recovery."

Weiss stood in shock of what she just heard. She rounded on Reaper. "You. Did. What? I can't believe… why do I even bother…"

"Thankfully, this particular incident was not advertised very much. There is no pressure from the Valen Council to punish Reaper harshly." Ozpin explained. "You should still be cautious of these actions, however." He told Reaper.

"So… am I in trouble?" Reaper asked.

"Cardin was quite honest about the situation when I spoke with him, as he lay face down on the gurney." The headmaster explained. "While over-the-top, it was still in defense of Neopolitan. While there will be no punishment, there will be a warning. The next time you are in here for any like reason, no amount of defense or self-defense will keep you out of trouble. There are smarter ways to protect yourself, and I want you and Ember to work on _not_ giving in to these sorts of urges."

"Yes, sir." Reaper told him with a smile. As WBRN filed out, Weiss looked ready to explode. "You okay, princess?"

"No!" Weiss shouted. "I am not okay! Ozpin went easy on you, and I don't think he should still be doing that! Not to mention I have to give up _so much_ of what I want to do to watch over you two, like a babysitter, and try to make sure you don't do something like you just did!"

"Hey!" Reaper shouted to shock Weiss into being still and listening. "You are stressing yourself too much over this. Weiss, you're supposed to keep an eye on us on missions or in town. But at Beacon, you don't have to stress over it."

"If I don't, things like this happen. I could have stopped it." Weiss told her.

"It's not on you, you're not our warden!" Reaper shouted.

"I'm not trying to be, you idiot, I'm trying to help you two!" Weiss's revelation stunned Reaper. "Believe or not, I want to see you two make it out of the other end of this thing, smelling like roses… no pun intended. I don't want to see you throw away this chance at redemption because of school-yard antics. Maybe I should show a little more faith, loosen the leash a little… but sometimes it's hard to believe you two can behave well enough without a 'warden'. Especially when I get called up to Ozpin's office because you shoved a dozen forks up Cardin's ass!"

Reaper remained in stunned silence for a moment. "You're right. I'm sorry. I let my passions take over, perhaps a little too often… What I just did to Cardin was extreme…" She took a deep breath. "Thank you, Weiss, for supporting us."

"Now, it's time for electives. Blake, would you please use your free hour to… accompany Reaper and Neo to Weapon Engineering?" Weiss asked.

"I will." Blake nodded. "Love you!"

"I love you too! Keep them in line!"

"I'll try." Blake joked, smirking at Reaper.

 _ **Thanks for the vote of confidence…**_

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Reaper parroted. Neo pouted back at Blake, giving a similar reply.

* * *

When the trio entered Weapon Mechanics, the tension was felt immediately. Velvet stared at them from across the room, and eventually spoke a few words to the professor before leaving. Reaper frowned and approached the professor herself. "What was that about?"

"Something about 'feeling sick'. She didn't look very sick, but something made her not want to be here, so I didn't press the issue." He replied. "So, are you ready?"

"Actually… I have a project in mind, and was hoping I could get the next week off Aide duties to work on it?" Reaper asked him.

"Of course! Perhaps I'll have a few students watch a master at work." He told her with a wink.

Reaper turned around, her excitement clear. "This is awesome! I have so many ideas! I can't wait!"

Neo giggled and signed, 'What are you going to work on?'

"Your new weapon, of course!" She told her. Neo's surprise registered on her face. "Um… I mean… if that's okay, of course… You might want to… sorry…"

Neo realized she gave off the wrong impression and quickly shook her head. She moved Reaper's face so the scythe master would see her signing. 'No need to be sorry. I would love it if you made my new weapon. I don't know which end of the forge is the front anyways.'

Reaper smiled. "You sure?" Neo nodded. Reaper took her chin and pulled her into a small kiss. "Thank you. It'll be great, I promise!"

Blake watched the interaction with a smile. "What ever happened to her umbrella again?"

Reaper hesitated, unsettled by the memory. "She lost it when Creature captured her. I doubt it doesn't exist, but who knows where it is now."

Neo nodded, rubbing her wrists. Under her sleeves, there was still discoloration, a scar from when she tore herself out of Creature's cuffs. _I hope that's the last of our adventures. Here's to smooth sailing for the next year and a half._

A crowd of students, along with the professor, indeed gathered around the skilled weapon smith as she began drawing up the plans. Any idea she had, she made sure to run by Neo before placing it on the blueprints. "Alright." She said finally. "Oh, that actually took the whole class hour to draw up… I didn't even notice. I guess I'll start forging tomorrow."

"See students? You shouldn't worry about rushing something. Just let it flow. I know professionals who would still take another two days to draw up a blueprint of this skill." The teacher turned Reaper's comment into a lesson.

"And that's just fine." Reaper interrupted. "Quality is more important than speed."

The professor smiled and nodded as the bell rang.

* * *

WBRN regrouped for combat class. Weiss approached the others without any of her previous suspicion or nerves. "You all behave?" She asked politely.

"Yup." Reaper replied. "Blake almost got rowdy, but I kept her in line."

The heiress actually smiled. "Well, thank you."

Neo cocked an eyebrow. 'Who are you and what did you do with the Ice Queen?' She signed.

"I realized that I have been… overly stressing about watching you two. Just don't give me a reason to regret it, okay?" She made them promise.

They settled into their seats and the class began. Neo smiled as she watched Blake and Weiss share a little PDA themselves. _They really need a day to themselves…_ Inspiration struck at that moment. _Or a night…_

Neo pulled out her scroll, setting her plan into action. Reaper set her up with an account and gave her a portion of the fortune she stole from Torchwick. Neo didn't know what she could spend money like that on, but now it came very much in handy. She booked a nice hotel and restaurant reservation, under Weiss's name. At places that were faunus friendly, of course.

Neo sent the details to Weiss, along with a text. ' _I know you're hesitant to trust me. Thank you for sticking up for me and Reaper. You deserve to finally get some time with Blake.'_

She watched Weiss and saw her check her scroll. The heiress's eyes widened and she began typing a response. Neo felt her scroll buzz, but was called out by Goodwitch before she could check it. "Ms. Neopolitan, welcome to Beacon. Perhaps we can inaugurate your first day with the first spar?"

Neo was actually excited to get to fight, but there was one crucial detail. Reaper immediately jumped to her defense, being her voice once again. "Neo doesn't have a weapon yet. I'm working on fixing that situation."

"No weapon?" Goodwitch looked genuinely confused. "how did you survive 'that' life without a weapon?"

"Well-"

"Ms. Rose, must you answer for her?"

"Do you know sign language?"

"Oh. Carry on then."

"She lost it during the whole thing with Creature." Reaper clarified.

Glynda nodded and set up another match. Neo looked to her scroll. ' _I mean no offense, but I don't get the feeling you would drop that much money as a 'thank you'…'_

' _You're right.'_ Neo messaged back. ' _I do have an ulterior motive.'_

' _Well, what is it?'_ Weiss asked. Neo raised an eyebrow. _She can't figure it out?_

' _There's a reason I booked you two a hotel room ;)'_ Neo answered. The multi colored girl chuckled as she watched the heiress's face turn three different shades of red.

' _Fine, just… clean up after yourselves.'_

Neo wasn't very interested in the current spar, as it didn't involve her dark lover. She settled to messing with Weiss just a little more. _'Maybe you and Blake can take advantage of the alone time yourselves… you do have a hotel room.'_

Wiess turned so red she looked like she was about to bleed out of her face. In fact, there was a trickle of blood out of her nose… She shoved her scroll back in her pocket and refused to answer, or even meet Blake's eyes. The heiress's reaction made it clear to the ex-criminal that Weiss and Blake's relationship wasn't actually at that stage. _Interesting…_

* * *

"So, how was your first day?" Reaper asked her brightly colored lover, who had already dispelled her illusioned uniform the second they entered the dorm.

'Not too bad.' She signed. 'I don't think the rest of them are going to be much different. Maybe once my new weapon is finished things will change a little.'

"I hope your happy with it." Reaper smiled. She looked over the Weiss and Blake and saw them choosing outfits. Nice outfits. "You two having a date night?"

"Yes we are." Weiss said, though she avoided Reaper's eye. They continued getting ready in silence.

"No warning about 'not getting in too much trouble'?" Reaper teased.

"I already have an idea what you'll be doing, even if you don't yet." Weiss responded vaguely.

"Huh? What does that mean?" the scythe master asked. Weiss ignored her. "Hey, team leader, pass the information? What are you saying? Helloooo?" Reaper continued to attempt to get the information all up until Weiss and Blake actually left the dorm. "That's… weird."

Neo smiled and took Reaper by the shoulders and pushed her onto the bed. The small girl straddled her taller lover with a seductive smile. "Well… not that I'm complaining, but-"

Neo cut off the girl's careful objection with her scroll screen, showing the receipt of the restaurant and the hotel room.

"Hotel?" Reaper looked at the screen.

'We have all night _._ ' Neo signed after tossing her scroll onto the couch besides the bed.

"All night?" Reaper asked with a smile. Neo nodded. "Is that a challenge?" Now that she knew they had time, she had no more objections.

Neo brought herself down to kiss Reaper passionately. She was quite looking forward to experiencing this first time since they both accepted their feelings, wondering if it would change anything. It would, as she would find out, and all for the better.

* * *

 _In Vale, in a dark alleyway…_

A man was dead. He did not pass gently into the final goodbye. No, he was forced into it, kicking and screaming, by a silent attacker. Now there was no more screaming, no more kicking… only the vicious, blood covered smile of the assailant. She cleaned blood off of the blade protruding off the end of her umbrella. She stepped away from the body, and into the light of the moon. Tri-colored hair seemed to shine, and her mis-matched eyes found the perfect spot for her next objective. Excessively tall heels click-clattered on the pavement, and the brightly colored girl approached the alley wall. Brown, Pink, and White stopped in front of the wall and gathered a large helping of blood on her hand. With practiced swiftness, she began to spread the blood across the brickwork, writing her message.


	4. Murder, They Wrote

A few days had passed since Neo's first day, and things went relatively the same, but with less stress and drama. It was strange… Neo almost felt as if her life was… normal. She had never had a 'normal' life.

"Ember, NO!"

" **Ember, yes!** "

 _Scratch that._ Neo thought with amusement. How normal can your life be when one ties themselves to the hip of an individual with multiple personalities that are both crazy? Ember had swept the floor with her opponent in Goodwitch's class, and had stayed in control after. It seemed she and Reaper believed if control was handed back just yet, Reaper wouldn't be able to control herself, just like her old 'red hazes'.

So, here the gang was. Weiss had dragged them all into the library to study, and Blake almost immediately fell asleep. Ember's first instinct, of course, was to fuck with the sleeping faunus. Weiss had already confiscated all the scythe master's markers, and was now talking her down from stacking books on her girlfriend's head.

 _Ember, are you serious right now?_

" **Hell yeah, I'm serious!** "

'Her sleeping head won't be able to handle the weight of the books _._ 'Neo reminded her.

" **Damn. Well, you got any ideas, Ice Cream Cup?** "

Neo thought for a moment.

"How about we leave her alone and study?" Weiss suggested.

Ember stroked her chin. " **Nah, that sounds boring. So how about it, Neo?** "

'Oh! Have you seen those pictures online with the sleeping cats and the goldfish crackers?' Neo signed excitedly with a huge smile.

Ember's eyes went wide. " **Oh, hell yes.** "

Ten minutes later, Blake Belladonna was absolutely covered in little yellow fish crackers. Weiss was in awe of just how many the fit on her, she could barely see the ninja. There was even a solitary goldfish on the point of one of her cat ears, which stuck straight up in her sleep. There was a flash and a shutter noise, and Weiss turned to see Ember with her scroll in hand. " **This is awesome!** "

"Would Team WBRN please report to the headmaster's office?"

The loudspeaker was loud enough to shock Blake awake, and the little crackers went flying everywhere. Well, apart from the few stuck in her hair. She was still in a daze when she looked to the ground. "Why are there goldfish everywhere?"

" **No reason, kitty kat.** " Ember assured quickly. " **Hey, Ozzy just called for us, we gotta go sleepy head.** "

 _Don't you think we should shift back for a meeting with Ozpin?_

" **Aw, can't I stay just a little longer?** "

 _What? Why? You've never been concerned with staying in control…_

" **Don't worry, it won't be permanent… I just want more time topside…** "

 _But why?_

" **Well… maybe… I just wanna** _ **mumble mumble mumble…**_ "

 _Oh? What was that?_

" **You know what. We share this scrambled noggin, after all.** "

"Hey? Is everything okay?" Weiss asked.

" **Yeah, everything's fine. Ozpin's office, right?** "

"Um… Yeah… but will you or Reaper be attending?" Weiss asked nervously.

" **Don't worry about me, Ice Queen. I'll behave, I promise. Neo here can always help keep me in line.** " Ember joked, throwing an arm around Neo.

Neo giggled and signed, 'I think we should get moving.'

"Neo's right." Blake pointed out. "Let's go."

* * *

"You've arrived." Ozpin said in greeting. The girls could tell the mood of the room was dire. Weiss immediately looked to Ember/Reaper.

" **Hey,** " Ember defended, " **We haven't been in trouble since that thing with Cardin and the forks. We've been behaving!** "

"It's not about Reaper. A resident of Vale was taking out their trash when they came upon an alleyway. The scene they found was gruesome. The police arrived, cordoned the area, and opened a file, which was just sent to me." Ozpin turned on his monitor so WBRN could see the images.

The alleyway pictured was coated in red. Blood splattered the walls, and it was safe to assume the source was the body lying on the alley floor. The worst part was the wounds, at least to Reaper.

 _That looks like…_

 _ **No…**_

"The wounds are consistent with Neo's umbrella." Ozpin confirmed.

Neo faced her lover with worry in her eyes, furiously shaking her head. _No, it's not that, I swear!_

" **Neo doesn't even have that umbrella anymore!** " Ember immediately defended. " **She lost it months ago, when Creature took her!** "

"I know, which is why we're speaking alone instead of with police." Ozpin nodded. "But it is hard… there is something else. A picture pulled from a security camera facing the alley's entrance." He pulled up the picture, which showed what looked very much like a blood covered Neopolitan exiting the alleyway in the dead of night.

Neo looked at the image in horror. The others stared at her in disbelief. Suddenly, she furiously began pointing at the screen.

" **The timestamp…** " Ember noticed. " **Professor, this image is impossible!** "

Neo sighed with relief, Weiss and Blake looked stunned, and Ozpin seemed to share Neo's relief. "Please, tell me how?" Ozpin begged.

" **That's Monday night. Neo was up until the dawn with us. Trust us, she didn't get any sleep.** " Ember told him, recalling the night of Neo's first day with a loaded smile.

"Umm… I see… Can anyone corroborate?" Ozpin asked, looking to Weiss and Blake.

"Neo bought us dinner and a hotel room, so she and Reaper could have the dorm to themselves." Weiss admitted.

"That is unfortunate… I believe you, Neo." Ozpin assured. "But it will take more than the testimony of a convict to prove your innocence to the courts…"

" **Fucking fuck… why do the police have a hate-on for us?** " Ember lamented, looking to Neo.

"Is it enough to begin an investigation, or at least stall the prosecution?" Blake asked.

"Stall the police, perhaps. The other, I cannot promise." Ozpin admitted. "It is important you stay out of trouble, Neopolitan. Stick to your studies, and please don't leave Beacon."

Neo nodded. Ozpin had a look behind his eyes that Neo couldn't recognize.

* * *

When they got back to the dorm, Weiss and Blake left immediately. The mood within didn't lighten much, even when it was just Neo and Reaper (who had finally returned to the wheel, so to speak).

The smaller one was cuddled into the scythe master on their bed, trying to get past this debacle they were in. _Who was that? That couldn't have been me…_

'We need a distraction.' Neo signed. Reaper raised an eyebrow. 'No, not that. Not really the time…' Neo clarified, with a small amused smile. 'Is there anything you want to do or talk about? Do you still have the stuff to make your drink?'

Reaper nodded and stood up. A few moments later she returned with two glasses, and handed one to Neo. The scythe master decided to sit on the couch instead of back on the bed. "Neo, there is something I want to talk about, something thankfully off-topic."

Neo nodded to show she was listening.

"Ember… wants to spend more time topside. In control. See, she doesn't necessarily want to be in control, she just wants-… Ember, I'm going to have to say it if this is going to happen, so suck it up. Sorry… She wants to spend time with you as well."

Neo smiled. She had actually seen this coming at some point. _Whatever we are, Ember feels it too._ 'So what's the question?'Neo signed.

"I want to be sure you're okay with that, spending time with her." Reaper clarified. "She's… pretty insistent."

'Of course.' Neo signed. 'Would it surprise you to hear I kind of want to spend time with Ember?'

"What? Really?" Reaper asked.

 _ **She what?**_

'The way I see it,' Neo explained, 'you and Ember are two parts of a whole. You act like separate entities, but you are the same person. If this thing with us is going to work, I need to accept all of you, especially Ember. And I already have, a long time ago.'

"Same person…" Reaper thought to herself.

 _ **She does have a point.**_

Reaper smiled. "Weiss is going to have to adjust to seeing Ember more often."

Neo smiled and nodded.

Just then, Weiss and Blake re-entered the dorm. They were all set to head into Vale, and even had their weapons. "Get ready, you two." Weiss told them.

"About time!" Reaper said, standing up and putting on her cloak.

Neo looked between all of them in confusion.

"What, you think we would just sit here and wait? While one of our team mates is in danger? I wouldn't make a good team leader then, would I?" Weiss smirked.

Neo raised an eyebrow and simply pointed to herself.

"Weiss is warming up to you, even she can't deny it." Reaper explained. "You don't know Ozpin too well yet, but there was a look in his eyes at the end of our meeting. He knew we wouldn't stay put."

"I don't get the feeling the police are very willing to look beyond Neo anyways." Blake vented. "The local force seems to have something against the Rehabilitative Custody program."

"Or just us and Neo." Reaper suggested.

"No, I think at this point it's the program." Weiss told them. "Neo's case wasn't as high profile as yours."

'So, we're disobeying Ozpin and going straight out to investigate ourselves?' Neo asked.

"Yup! It's not like he thought we would just stay put." Reaper explained. "Are you not okay with it or something?"

Neo smiled. 'I was just asking. I'm itching to get to the bottom of this. Never thought I'd say, let's go catch a criminal!'

* * *

The first stop for the team was the police station. Weiss wanted to get her hands on her own copy of the file for them to work off of. As they sat in the coffee shop across the street, Neo became very unsettled. Not just the proximity to the cops, but the image she held in her hand. Someone, who looked exactly like her, covered in blood.

The others were looking through the rest of the file, looking for anything that may help. All they saw were pictures and documents that pointed to Neo and her umbrella, and the fact that she no longer possessed it was her only saving grace.

It was nearly an hour of staring at the same 17 pages before something caught Reaper's eye. "Neo, can I check that page?" Reaper glanced at the bottom of the paper. "Those bastards…" She said to herself, her eyes tinting.

Weiss caught the change. "What is it?"

Reaper took a deep breath, but it was Ember who stood up. " **We have to talk to the police.** " She told them, storming out of the café. Weiss hurriedly followed Ember across the street, where the scythe master all but kicked in the door. She slammed the file on the counter. " **I need to speak to the detective in charge of this case.** "

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but he is not going to accept..." The receptionist was terrified of seeing the advertised criminal up close.

" **He tampered with this file. There's more evidence, and he's covering it up. Let. Me. Speak. To. Him.** "

"Covering evidence?" Someone off to the side spoke up. A tall man, short raven hair, and dressed in a black vest over a white shirt and dress pants, dropped his current task and walked up to Reaper. "How can you tell?"

" **Are you him?** " Ember accused.

"No, but I am one of the few friends you will find in this department, Reaper." He explained. "My name is Black. Please, talk to me."

Ember stalled. " **Black? Are you an agent, too?** "

"Detective, and you wouldn't believe the number of times that joke has run around, but it does say 'Black' on my birth certificate." Detective Black explained, obviously tired of the running gag. "If you think there is something wrong with this file, tell me, please."

" **You actually want to help us?** " Ember was reasonably suspicious.

"I believe in people, and in justice. A court of law saw you fit to prove yourself, and placed you back on this side of the law. I have seen nothing to suggest we are not allies, in that regard at least." Black told her.

" **Been watching? Creeper.** " Ember joked.

 _Ember, we could use a friend in Vale's police._

" **Yeah, Reaper, I got it…** _ **sigh**_ **… Alright, we could use the help,** _ **acquaintance.**_ **We'll see about ally later.** "

"Fair enough." Detective Black nodded. "What have you got?"

" **Check this out. The numbers at the bottom, that show the page number? The order they were printed?** "

The detective took the file and rooted through the pages. "The Neopolitan case… I don't like suspecting cops, but if there was a case one would alter here… One, two… seventeen… they're all here."

" **Look closer.** " Ember told him.

So he did. And he did sense something was off. "…But I can't put my finger on just what…"

" **The type.** " Ember clarified.

The detective's eyes widened. "The font is different… Pages one through twelve have the same font, but pages thirteen through seventeen have a different font."

" **And if you look really closely, you can see little smudges…** " Ember pointed out. " **It looks like whoever put together the original file, whited out the pages, and replaced the numbers. Somehow.** "

"The man in charge of this case actually owns a typewriter… And the only reason to do that would be scan the papers back in… Make it look like the original file. To remove pages." The detective concluded. "Remove evidence. I hate the idea of cops bending the law, but I am sure you have noticed by now. The badges aren't very happy with Headmaster Ozpin's latest policy."

"I'm just glad someone is willing to help." Weiss spoke up, approaching Black. "My name is Weiss Schnee, I'm the leader of team WBRN at Beacon. Reaper is on that team, though at the moment I believe she is Ember."

Black shook the heiress's hand. "Ember? The alternate personality?"

" **You wouldn't want to know what could happen if I wasn't around. Trust me, we're better off our meds.** "

"Well, I'll go confront the man in charge of Neopolitan's case. Civilians can't go beyond the counter, so I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to wait here. I'll be right back." Black gestured to the waiting chairs and walked off.

Ember reluctantly took a seat. Neo and Blake finally made it to the station after having to wait for the check at the café. "What's going on?" Blake asked her girlfriend.

"There might be more evidence that has been covered up." Weiss told her. Neo looked to Ember hopefully.

Ember nodded and Neo sighed in relief. She approached Ember and smiled. 'So, you want to spend time with me?' She signed.

" **I mean, well…** "

'don't worry.' Neo chuckled. 'your hard-ass bad-bitch status is safe.'

" **Better be…** " Ember whispered, before pulling Neo onto her lap.

"WHAT!" a deep voice sounded through the police station.

"But, sir!"

"DON'T 'BUT, SIR' ME, JACKASS! WHAT YOU DID IS ILLEGAL, NOT TO MENTON PETTY!"

The entire office fell silent. You could hear a pen drop. After a few moments, Black returned, accompanied by another young man in a nice suit, and an older man with a large mustache.

"You want to play schoolyard shit, son, you can be treated like a child about it." The older man told the younger newcomer.

"This is ridiculous…" he responded.

"Well, if you want to be treated as an adult, we can go straight to criminal charges? Obstructing justice?" The older man countered.

The other stiffened and turned to Neo. "I'm… sorry." He said, before hurrying away.

"What was that about?" Weiss asked Black after the older gentleman left as well.

"The older man was my boss, the chief here. The younger guy was the one in charge of your case. I stress, _was_." Black answered. "He did remove a page, Reaper. Just one, but it's enough to cast doubts of your friend's guilt. It's addressed to her by name."

"So who's in charge of the case now?" Weiss asked.

"You're looking at him." Black told her. "He was caught removing evidence. He wanted Neo to go down, he shares the office's popular opinion. 'Criminal's don't belong in uniform, and they certainly don't have a right to a huntsmen card.' The chief shares it too, which is why he got off easy. He should be arrested. To save face, Chief put me in charge. I'll get to the truth, Neopolitan." He turned to the multi-colored girl. "I promise."

" **You said it was 'addressed' to her…** " Ember pointed out. " **What was?** "

Black handed WBRN the missing photo from the file. "A message, written on the wall of the alley. In the victim's blood."

Neo stared at the message in total shock. She didn't know how to respond.

 _I will make you proud, Neopolitan. – M._


	5. A Thickening Plot

Neo set the picture down. She didn't want to look at it anymore. She stormed right out of the building, followed closely by Reaper and Weiss. Ember knew Reaper's softer hand was the one that was needed right now, and slipped back into the recesses of their shared psyche. Reaper caught Neo on the front steps of the police station and drew the small girl into her arms. "Neo, it'll be okay. It wasn't your fault."

'I know.' Neo signed. 'It's not like death bothers me. Just a few months ago I was trying to kill Velvet, after all. But…'

"It's different this time, right?" Reaper suggested.

Neo nodded. 'I'm trying to change… I'm trying to get away from senseless death… but then this 'M' person kills in my name, to get my attention… Well, it worked. I never thought I'd be sick at the sight of blood…'

"We'll figure this out. It will be over before you know it." Reaper assured her.

Detective Black had followed Blake out by now, and chose now to speak up. "I know you girls are eager to catch 'M', and your efforts have been in your favor so far. But now you have someone who believes that Neopolitan is innocent on your side. It really is in your best interests to stay at Beacon for the foreseeable future. A lot of people still want to blame you, damage Ozpin's program. You need to keep your nose clean."

Neo signed at him, and he looked to the others. "I don't know sign language." He admitted after no one started translating.

"She wants to go to the scene itself." Reaper told him.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..." Black warned them.

Neo pouted, and Reaper tried to think of something. "Unless… if 'M' wants to come after Neo, maybe she left a clue only Neo would recognize? It might actually help to let us see."

Black looked between the girl. "I realize her reasons are more personal than that. I am a detective." He told them. "However, you also carry a very real point in your argument. I'll take you, and stay with you while you are there. Then, I'll drop you off at the air dock to Beacon."

Neo signed, and Reaper translated, "Thank you."

They managed to pile into his vehicle, with Blake, Ruby and Neo taking residence in the backseat. Neo, as the smaller one, sat in the middle. Black noted a definitive bias towards Reaper, and that the scythe master closed the gap by wrapping her arm over the girl and pulling her in. "So, those two are together?"

"Those two are something, all right." Weiss replied. "It's hard to define. They're not really the 'fluffy cuddle nights' kind of lovers."

"More like co-op pranking, huh?" Black asked.

"Well, you certainly are a detective." Weiss answered with a smile. "Is it okay if I ask a few questions?"

"Shoot."

"You already knew who we were when we walked in to the station. You called Reaper and Neo by name." Weiss more stated than actually asked.

"Yes, I did. I knew yours and Blake's too. I followed both of the trials closely, not just Reaper's." Black answered.

"You were eager to help, jumped right up with no hesitation." Weiss 'asked'.

"I recognized Reaper the instant she came through the door." Black told her. "When I heard her say something about a detective tampering evidence, I assumed it had to do with Neopolitan's case. Like I told her, I'm not a fan of accusing police, but if there is one case someone there would alter, it's one they can use to damage Ozpin's program."

"So why do they hate it so much? And how come they're not so vocal about it? I'm surprised we're only just now feeling the hate…" Weiss actually asked this time.

"The Council of Vale is in full support of the Rehabilitative Custody program." Black informed her. "It's not a good political move to have a precinct full of people vocally against the council's decisions, so the chief told them all to keep quiet. As far as why they don't like it… It's just wrong to them. They see it as criminals gaining authority. No matter how much good you do, some of them will always see them as criminals. And as huntresses? That's a lot of authority for someone that can't be trusted."

"But you do trust them? You think differently?" Weiss deduced.

The detective smiled. "I do. I believe in justice and what's right, Ms. Schnee. Some say it's the core of my being. It's why I'm a detective already, though I'm still young. I believe in good and evil, but I don't believe in absolute good or evil. Someone evil, under the right circumstances, can become good. I see the Rehabilitative Custody program as a path for that to happen." Black looked to the ex-criminal pair in the backseat. "And from where I'm sitting, it seems to be working already."

The conversation finished as the car pulled up to the crime scene. Neo kept her feelings off of her face as they maneuvered the alleys, and they soon laid eyes on it. The body was already removed, but the blood had yet to be washed off. It was all there, and so was the message. _I will make you proud, Neopolitan. – M._

Neo looked around the alley quickly, but saw nothing she could truly point out, except one thing that came to mind… _But that would be impossible… Roman didn't even know me when I was here. But… it's too much of a coincidence…_

"Anything?" Detective Black asked Neo.

Neo looked up at him. She pointed to a window, then signed to Reaper. Black looked to the scythe master for the translation. "Apparently that window leads to her first ever hideout in Vale. But she says it's impossible that anyone would know that. She was still working alone until after she abandoned this place."

"I see… But it seems like too much of a coincidence…" Black stroked his chin. "Are you sure it can't be connected?"

'I just learned I have a doppelganger trying to flirt with me through blood.' Neo signed, her sarcasm clear on her face. 'I'm not taking chances.'

"Smart girl." Black remarked after getting the translation, looking back to the window. "Alright, if there is nothing you can find here, I think it's time I take you back to Beacon."

"Yes sir." Weiss nodded. "Come on, team."

The ride back was silent, as the next three days would be. Three days, because that's how long it took for Detective Black to call them again. Three days, because that's when they would learn of a second murder.

* * *

Neo was sitting at the desk, lost in her studying. Better that than lost in her thoughts of Mimic, as Ember had decided to call their mysterious copycat. " **It starts with an M and she's totally trying to be you. Well, psycho you anyways.** " The red-eyed personality had explained.

 _For all the chaos, at least I'm studying. This 'school' thing isn't as bad as I thought. And Reaper was right about these drinks being helpful._ Neo thought to herself as she enjoyed the product of Reaper's secret alcohol mixer stash. Reaper emerged from the shower, and Neo couldn't help devouring her lover with her eyes. Not that it was hard… Reaper knew it was just them at the moment, and emerged from the bathroom with just her bra and underwear on. "You seem a little happier than normal." Reaper noted.

Neo answered by making it obvious she was checking the scythe master out. She even added a growl. Reaper was glad Neo was finally cheering up and not worrying so much, though she was curious if the alcohol had something to do with it. Neo was significantly smaller than… well… anyone. "Maybe we should buy the Checkmate pair another hotel room?"

Just then a scroll buzzed on the table. Both of the girls looked to it. "That's Weiss's…" Reaper noted, walking up to it. 'Detective Black' was the contact name. "Black?"

Neo's mood soured with the memories of recent events. Reaper decided to answer. "Heya, Detective. Weiss left her scroll behind today, I guess. What's up?"

"Reaper? Hm. Well, I wish to speak to all of you. It's important. Where is Ms. Schnee?"

"She should be back- oh hey Weiss!" Reaper waved as Weiss entered the room. Weiss turned red when she noticed Reaper's attire. "Black's on your scroll."

"Could you please get decent?" Weiss pleaded as she grabbed her scroll. "Hello, Detective. What? Oh no…"

Reaper tried to decipher the other end of the conversation as she dressed. She was distracted, though, by Neo's obvious protest to her increased state of clothing. "We'll figure it out, Ice Cream Cup."

"We'll be there soon." Weiss hung up and turned to her team. "There's been another murder, and another message."

"By Mimic?" Reaper asked, to be sure.

Weiss nodded. "Why are we calling her Mimic again?"

"Because she signed her message as 'M', and she's cosplaying as Murder Neo." Reaper explained again.

"What's wrong with just M? When we learn what it actually stands for, it'll be harder to use if we already have our own definition." Weiss countered.

"Well… that's boring. Look, does it really matter? We have somewhere to be." Reaper stated.

"Reaper's right. Let's go." Blake agreed.

Neo had already dressed, deciding to illusion her outfit over her PJ's to save time. She didn't even bother signing her desire to hurry, her impatience was clear on her face. Weiss nodded and the girls left the dorm.

* * *

Neo buried herself into Reaper again as they rode with Detective Black to the new scene. She could tell she was starting to rely on the scythe master's comforting presence. _I'm attending Beacon, training to be a huntress, and even hunting down a criminal. All because of her. I don't know what I'd do without her now…_ Neo let out all she needed, so she could steel herself over for the actual crime scene. They soon arrived, and disembarked.

The first thing Neo noted, even before turning that last corner, was the smell. The smell of blood, and a lot of it. When her eyes finally met with the alley itself, she was nearly sick. The blood was everywhere, and the body had yet to be removed this time. But the kicker was the message, written in blood over the body.

 _We'll have so much fun together, Neopolitan. – M._

Black watched the girls, and gauged all of their reactions. Neo's horror, Weiss's disgust, Blake's disturbed awe, and Reaper's quiet anger, were clear on all of their faces. He noted, too, that when Neo finally did break her eyes away, the first thing she did was run into Reaper, who quickly folded her arms protectively around the girl. He approached the duo and asked what he brought them here to ask. "Anything stand out to you two?"

Neo shook her head. "So," Black continued, "where were you at midnight, two nights ago?"

"We were all asleep in WBRN dorm by then." Reaper answered. "Neo fell asleep in my arms, and woke up in my arms."

"I see… Damn it! It's still not conclusive enough to exonerate her... It's still hard to gain support from my department." Black cursed.

"I can't believe the police chief here is letting politics dictate how he pursues justice." Weiss shook her head.

"Me neither…" Black assured.

The gang was getting ready to take off, having no reason to stay here. As they were piling back into the vehicle, Neo noticed something across the street. She tugged Weiss's sleeve and signed to her.

"Hmm… I believe so… why?" Weiss responded.

"What is she asking?" Black turned to see.

"She wanted to know if there used to be a bank across the street there, where that restaurant now is." Weiss relayed.

"Yes, in fact there was." Black turned to Neo. "Why?"

Neo signed, and Weiss translated. "It was the bank of her first heist, she says."

"First safehouse, first heist…" Black stroked his chin. "So M is using all of your 'firsts'? That's what you think?"

"Mimic." Reaper interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Black asked, confused.

"Mimic? It makes sense." The scythe master assured.

"I guess…" Black reluctantly agreed. "Anyway, about my question?"

"She says, 'That's what it looks like'." Weiss translated.

"Once is chance, twice is coincidence…" Reaper thought out loud.

"Well, hopefully we won't have a third to tell us we're on to something." Black noted.

"Is there a connection between the victims?" Blake asked. "If not, then it's more likely the location _is_ important. She is trying to leave messages for Neo after all…"

" _I will make you proud,_ and _We'll have so much fun together._ " Black recited from memory. "It does sound like she's inviting Neo to join her."

"So she dresses as her, leaves her blood invites, and uses locations from her history. This is so Neo-Centric, I think it's safe to say the locations are the key." Weiss concluded.

Black looked to Neo. "Well then, can you give me a list of every possible location you can think of? Maybe we can catch-"

"Mimic."

Black stared at Reaper for a second. "Fine. Maybe we can catch _Mimic_ , red handed."

Neo nodded and grabbed a pen and paper.

* * *

The girls didn't know that they had a spectator this whole time. Someone dressed brightly, and watching from the rooftops. The girl who would be known as Mimic had smiled the first time she finally saw Neo show up at her first gift. That same smile had been severely damaged over the past few days, however… Neopolitan seemed to be very close to _her…_ and Mimic didn't know why. _After all I'm doing for you…_

A sharp pain stabbed at her brain, and memories of the black clad huntress flashed. Memories that Mimic quickly discarded. _No! it's impossible… Neopolitan can't feel that way for that… Reaper… No, Neo is MINE!_ Her grip around the umbrella she possessed tightened when she watched Reaper and Neo embrace while visiting her second gift. Mimic stomped away at that moment.

Inside her own hideout, she was fuming. Neo and Reaper being lovers just didn't fit in the reality she wanted to exist in. _No, Reaper is using her… holding her captive… I'm sure of it… Neopolitan just needs to see what I am willing to do for her… She is mine… and we will have so much fun…_ A vicious smile spread over her lips as she toyed with the umbrella, her prized possession. Finding it in that alley was the best thing to ever happen. She felt as though Neo left it for her, and she only wanted to repay the favor.

Mimic approached a wall she had decorated with various newspaper clippings. A few old ones where Neo was in the background, a few where Neo wasn't actually featured, but Mimic knew they were her crimes, and a few more recent ones about the Rehabilitative Custody. Among them she saw Reaper in the picture as well. The sharp point of the umbrella's blade pierced one of these images of the scythe master. _I will free you, Neopolitan. I promise._


	6. A Day Off (Or Not)

Neo woke up to an unusual feeling. She was alone in the bed. She opened groggy eyes and looked around the dorm. _It feels like noon… Has the weekend already come? My first week flew by… I have been a bit distracted though…_

Neo yawned and stretched and looked to the desk where Reaper was currently sitting. The skilled weapons mechanic was currently slaving over a collection of small, shining blades. A long, thin white cylinder also lay on the desk, as well as various small parts and Kevlar fabrics resting in pink and brown dye. Reaper looked as though she was working on Neo's new weapon all night, and the colorful one knew she wasn't going to get Reaper's attention easily without leaving the warm bed.

Neo frowned as she stared at Reaper's eyes. It was hard for both of them to get to sleep last night, after seeing the second crime scene. The dark woman had forced her smaller lover to stay in bed with her eyes closed until she left the wakeful world, but it seemed she didn't take her own advice. With an inaudible groan, Neo stood from the bed and walked to Reaper, draping herself over her lovers back. Carefully, as to avoid ruining whatever Reaper was trying to do.

Reaper felt the weight and looked up at the time. "Noon already?" She turned to Neo and smiled. "Hey, you sleep well?"

Neo didn't answer, instead she grabbed Reaper's hand, pulled her onto her feet, and pushed her onto the bed. 'It's your turn to sleep' she signed.

"But I want to finish your weapon… I thought I'd have it done by yesterday…" Reaper pouted.

'I want you to take your time' Neo signed, before pushing the taller woman onto her back. 'I also want you to sleep.'

"Fine…" Reaper pulled Neo down and held her tightly. "But you're not leaving."

Neo giggled silently. _That's fine with me._

* * *

When Reaper woke later, she noted only a few hours had passed. She also noted Weiss and Blake were in the room now, looking over the pieces of Neo's new weapon. "Wow. I don't think I've ever actually seen you work with a weapon, other than basic maintenance…" Weiss admired the piece.

"This really is something else. It never really struck me until now that you designed and built Crescent Rose and Brutal Thorn from scratch." Blake agreed.

"It's not really any harder." Reaper told them. "There are just a lot more moving parts to most of my weapons. Anyway, what's with the fancy outfits? You two going on a date?" Reaper just realized the pair were dressed in expensive coats, with Weiss in one of her skirts and Blake wearing tall boots.

"Not exactly." Weiss answered.

"Unfortunately…" Blake remarked.

"Hush, you." Weiss lovingly scolded. "We really need an emotional break after the week we've had. So we're all going to dinner in Vale, you and Neopolitan as well. She's already in the shower, but was insistent that you stay asleep as long as possible."

"Yeah, she was a little peeved that I forced her to sleep last night, then didn't get any myself." Reaper yawned. "Are we on a tight schedule?"

"Not really." Weiss said. "No restaurant of worth will give up a table reserved by a Schnee, even if we are late. Still, don't lollygag?"

"Affirmative, Mrs. Bosswoman, the man!" Reaper told her with a salute.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I wonder if Ruby would have been better or worse than you if I had made team leader two and a half years ago."

 _ **Well, that's a matter of perspective.**_

"Well, that's a matter of perspective." Reaper joked with a grin.

The girls heard the shower stop and Neo soon stepped out fully dressed. She saw Reaper was already awake and shot her the stink eye. "Sorry? I just woke up, it's not like I forced myself to…"

Neo huffed and nodded. _I guess…_

"Anyway, I have a shower to catch." Reaper stood, stretched, and grabbed her towel.

* * *

"You know we're endeavoring to go to someplace a little nicer than a burger joint, right?" Weiss scolded halfway to the restaurant.

"Okay?" Reaper responded, not knowing what was wrong.

"Your cloak!" Weiss told her. "It's getting shabby! And your outfit is just what you normally wear!"

"So? And what about Neo? She's wearing her normal getup." Reaper complained.

"Yeah, but Neo has at least _some_ style and grace." Weiss commented, making the small ex-criminal double-take. "Your combat boots, on the other hand, will scuff up the floor."

"Hey! Neo doesn't mind my outfit, she picked it out for me! Right?" Reaper looked to Neo, who looked between the two without answering. "Right? Come on, Neo…"

'I want to agree with you,' Neo signed, 'but Weiss just _complimented_ me! It's a rare occurrence to pass up.'

Reaper feigned shock. "Well, then, maybe I'll just leave it on all the time to spite you two. I won't take it off for _anything_." She stressed the last word, looking Neo right in the eye. Neo got the message.

'Don't worry so much, her outfit is fine!' Neo quickly signed to Weiss.

"That's what I thought." Reaper smiled smugly.

"Good lord…" Weiss shook her head.

'It'll look even better on the floor.' Neo signed with a wink towards Reaper.

"TMI!" Weiss shouted. "At least keep the conversation kid-friendly while we're in here, _please!_ "

"Well…" Reaper led.

'Since you asked nicely…' Neo followed up.

Weiss gave up the moment they arrived at the restaurant. They all stepped inside and got the usual assortment of looks the group got whenever they went anywhere all together. Most of them looked at them dumbstruck, as motley crew of mismatched colors. Others who knew the news reports looked at them as delinquents and criminals, and scowled. Still others knew them from the papers and respected them as Detective Black did. To those, Neo gave an appreciative nod. Their waitress was thankfully of the latter variety, and treated them very well.

It was halfway through a pleasant meal when Reaper got up to use the restroom. The meal had served its purpose, gotten all their minds off the past few days. Reaper was smiling as she stepped out of the bathroom stall, and saw her small lover out of the corner of her eye. "Hey, Neo."

When Reaper's eyes met the mirror she got a proper look at the woman in the bathroom with her. It _looked_ like Neo, but there were small differences. Little 'this's' and 'that's' that most people wouldn't even noticed. But Reaper knew Neo better than anyone, and she knew…

" **You're not Neo.** " Ember turned and told Mimic, riding the onslaught of rage all the way to the front seat of the scythe master's body.

The doppelganger wore a vicious smile and lashed out with a familiar umbrella. Ember jumped backwards and reached instinctively for Brutal Thorn. _**Crap! Weiss makes us leave it behind…**_

 _Watch her fight. If she's using Neo's style as well, we can make this work._

Ember agreed. With Mimic between her and the door, they couldn't run and warn anyone. Mimic stood her ground, waiting for Ember to make her move.

 _ **She won't attack first…**_

 _Just like Neo…_

 _ **How does she know her so well?**_

Ember decided to go for it. She attempted to rush past Mimic, who caught her and stopped her in place, twirling around and grappling until she had the leverage to throw the taller woman. Her legs clasped around Ember's neck and she threw herself backwards, taking the scythe master into the air and into the mirror above the sinks, shattering it. Mimic landed upside down on her hands and sprung back up.

Ember used her considerable strength to push herself straight into the air, spinning and bringing her foot down. Mimic stepped back, and the hooded girls foot missed by mere inches, slamming on the tile and causing a small crater in the floor. Ember's momentum left her on one knee, the perfect height to be kicked in the face by the pint-sized impersonator.

Ember staggered. A flash of steel was her only warning that Mimic drew the umbrella's blade and swung. The scythe master felt the sting of the blade a few times before she opened her eyes. A streak of color told her the imposter flipped beside her, once again blocking her path to the door. The black clad girl swung her fist, and it was met by the open parasol. Her fist retracted, and Mimic folded the umbrella and twirled it, springing the second blade out of the end.

The blade was thrust forward in this state, and Ember side-stepped it easily, tapping into the speed semblance. She smirked and grabbed the blade, surprising Mimic, who until now had been confident about the fight. Ember's left elbow came down on the joint where the blade jutted from the umbrella, her knowledge of weapons telling her this was the weak point. The thin sword easily snapped off of the rest of the tool.

Ember used her free hand to grab the umbrella half Mimic still held and yanked, pulling the small girl in. While the imposter was off balance, Ember swept her feet and threw her into the air, where she grabbed Mimic. She let go where colorful imposter would suspend in the air long enough for her swing to hit true, and the small woman flew across the bathroom and slammed into one of the stall walls, denting it and ricocheting off the edge of the doorway part and into the stall, where she still flew with enough force to crack the porcelain reservoir.

Ember stood over her opponent, who had fallen still. Her mismatched eyes opened suddenly, and the girl sprang up with her hands. Her heeled feet met Reaper's face, and she kicked off of the taller woman and back-flipped, landing on her feet. Ember looked to her with surprise that quickly melted into a smirk. Mimic raised a confused eyebrow until she saw the bathroom door… behind her opponent.

Ember turned to run, and Mimic reached out to grab her cape. Fingers closed around the cloth, and she pulled. It seemed to come off too easy, though… Mimic saw the clasp wasn't torn… it was undone. She barely had time to register the tactical disadvantage of being unable to see Ember through the black shroud before the middle of it grew toward her rapidly, and Ember punched her in the face through the cloth. Mimic hit the far wall and felt it crack with the force.

Ember used her speed semblance and grabbed the cloak, put it back on with a spin, and jumped. A split second where she was in the air dragged on forever for Mimic, who stared. The dark woman was posed in the air, arms out, legs bent underneath her, chest and head bent forward, and surrounded by the spread of the cape and the hundreds of sudden rose petals.

With her hood up and her eyes burning red, Mimic was easily reminded of the hooded figure this woman had named herself after. With her tight clothing and (if Mimic was being completely honest) gorgeous frame, along with her cute face, taken into consideration, it changed the scene entirely. Add the rose petals, and the picture Mimic was left with was as beautiful as it was terrifying.

And then she was being kicked in the face and sent completely through the back wall, falling among the debris in the back alley. Mimic had severely overestimated herself, and stood shakily. She utilized the dust cloud from the 'deconstruction' to make a run for it. By the time Ember stood in the alley, she couldn't see the small impersonator. She ran down the alley, turned a corner, and was shocked by what she saw. A random beggar, he used to be… before he was used to be ink in Mimic's latest artwork.

He lay on the ground, posed to appear as though he held the scythe painted on the ground in his own blood. A bullseye was painted behind his head, where a puncture wound was still leaking. Ember looked up to read the lettering Mimic left. This one wasn't for Neo.

 _SHE'S MINE_

Ember pulled out their scroll and sent two messaged, one to Weiss and one to Detective Black. When she saw the other three of team WBRN appear, she ran out and grabbed Neo, wrapping the smaller girl in her arms. " **Hold up, Neo… I don't think you want to see this one.** "

 _ **She doesn't need to know we're at the top of Mimic's hit list…**_

 _I don't know…_

 _ **Trust me.**_

Weiss and Blake took a curious look ahead. Their stunned faces told Neo all she needed to know there was a new murder. She looked up to Ember. _I want to see it._

" **No, this one doesn't need it.** " Ember assured her. Neo didn't buy it. She couldn't think of a good reason for Ember to hold her back.

"I'll call Detective Black." Weiss stated.

" **I already did.** " Ember told her. " **He's on his way.** "

"Speak of the Devil." Blake nodded toward a black car that was pulling into the alley, lights flashing and bathing the scene in blue and red.

Black got out and walked toward the group. "So much for staying out of trouble."

" **We didn't go looking for it this time. Mimic attacked us.** " Ember told him.

"Attacked us?" Black asked. "As in the four of you, or us as in you and Reaper?"

" **Just… me.** " Ember clarified. " **The scene is back there.** "

Black took a long look at it before returning to Ember. "Tell me what happened."

* * *

Neo heard everything except what the scene looked like. She didn't know why everybody was keeping it from her, but she could feel everybody's tension. Black had gone off to look for more evidence while the girls waited in the blown out bathroom. Weiss had tried to charge repairs to her card as an apology, and was surprised when the establishment told her Reaper/Ember had already done so out of her own pocket. She looked to the damage in awe. _Ember is strong… I'm not even sure Yang would have pulled this off without taking a lot more damage first._ Weiss thought as she looked through the hole to the alley.

Neo didn't mind being held by Ember, but she wanted to see the scene. Every time she tried to get up, Ember's hold tightened for just a second, holding her in place. It was really starting to get on the colorful ex-criminal's nerves. Black soon returned, distracting them all with his news. "Well, there is another dead man, and that is never a good thing. However, there is one small silver lining to this incident." He held up a disk. "Security tapes clearly show two Neopolitan's. The one that arrived with you, and the one that snuck in soon after and followed Reaper into the bathroom. We finally have incontrovertible evidence of Mimic's existence." He slipped the disc into a folder, adding it to the case file.

A weight lifted off Neo's shoulders. 'Can I see the scene now?' She signed.

" **I don't know if that's a good idea.** " Ember persisted. Black raised an eyebrow to Weiss, who nodded.

 _Oh, now you agree with Ember!_ Neo huffed. 'She'll have left a message for me though?'

"Not exactly… she left a message, but not for you." Blake told her. Ember shot her a vicious look.

Neo only wanted to see it more now. Who was this new message for? What had changed? Her curiosity burned.

Detective Black drove them all back to Beacon. The girls walked back to the dorm quietly. Their nice night was supposed to give them a day off from this mess, and they only ended up deeper in it for their efforts. As they settled for sleep, Neo slipped something out of her jacket and hid it by her and Reaper's bed. Satisfied she wasn't seen doing it, she readied herself for bed.

After her lover's breathing settled into an obvious sleep pattern, she slipped her arm out and grabbed the folder she swiped from Black's car. She would give it back, but she _had_ to know. She flipped to the back, and saw he indeed already printed pictures from the recent scene, probably using the restaurant's printer to save time. She looked over the new pictures, and her eyes widened with realization.


	7. Last Stand

Neo stood alone in Vale. It wasn't hard to get out without anyone seeing her, not with her semblance. She now made her way silently through the streets. Reaper being targeted was all the motivation she needed to think things over carefully. She knew how to get Mimic's attention. The imposter would keep an eye on all of her 'first' sites, so all Neo had to do was pick one and go there. And she knew the perfect place.

She left a note at WBRN dorm explaining herself before she left, of course. She knew Reaper wouldn't be happy, but the only way to draw Mimic out peacefully would be Neo confronting her alone. The multi-colored ex-criminal may be the only person in the entire world safe from the multi-colored pretender. _I wonder if Reaper ever felt this way about me while I was stalking her… no matter. I have her now. Mimic's story will end much differently._

Neopolitan turned the corner and entered the alleyway. There was still a massive slice in the dumpster by the back, and Neo could see traces of year-old blood. The small girl walked up to it and recalled the night she was here, so long ago now. So much had transpired since then, and they had gone through so many changes together… Back then she was a vicious criminal with an appetite for destruction. Now, with the help of the woman she met here, she had lightened up to a simple obsessive sociopath with a strong desire for Reaper. Yeah, she knew she was crazy, but so what? At least she accepted it.

"Neopolitan." The voice that spoke was one of awe. It was sickly sweet, almost like a child's, and so very cold. Neo turned to face the one who greeted her, and all her old desires and tendencies for bloodshed quickly rushed to the surface. Mimic stared and smiled, almost in disbelief that she was here, meeting her idol. "I knew you could escape. You can do anything. And together, we will do so much more."

Neo wasn't sure what to expect, and stayed on edge as Mimic approached her. The imposter held out the umbrella. "I… believe this belongs to you. That… _Woman…_ broke it… I'm sorry, I tried to take good care of it."

Neo didn't miss the sudden aggression when Mimic mentioned Reaper. Neo almost took the umbrella, but found she couldn't stand to hold it. Her hand hesitated for a few seconds before withdrawing. Mimic looked to her with desperation in her eyes.

"Oh no, oh no…" Mimic began to panic. "I let her break it… I let her break it and now you're mad… I'm so sorry! I swear I'll make it up to you! I can fix this! Please don't leave!"

The sudden shift in behavior stunned Neo. Until now, Neo assumed this woman was power hungry and obsessed with her, trying to get rid of Reaper so she could steal Neo. That's not the impression Neo had now. The imposter seemed to her to just be another insane criminal in a city apparently full of them. Neo pulled out her scroll and typed a message, not assuming this woman knew sign language. 'Why did you try to kill Reaper?'

"Because… I wanted to help you. I mean, you wouldn't have been there if someone wasn't forcing you, right?" Mimic said as if it was obvious. "No, she had you captive, and I was going to free you, and we would be together. But she broke your weapon and got away… I failed you. I should have trusted you to get out yourself, as you obviously have. Please don't be mad! I'll do anything!"

'You were going to kill Reaper to free me?' Neo asked using the scroll.

"Yes!" Mimic shined, believing she had won her idols forgiveness.

'If you really know me, you know how I feel about Reaper.'

Mimic's smile fell. "But… it makes no sense… you and I… Ahh!" Mimic suddenly gripped her head as if in pain. "No… No! that's not right! It doesn't fit! NEO IS MINE!" Mimic looked back up to Neo. "I'm sorry. I don't want to do this… but they must have brainwashed you… it's the only explanation…" Mimic drew the still intact blade from the umbrellas handle. "I have to bring you back to your senses."

Neo didn't expect things to go this way. She had no weapon, and someone with the same skill as her was about to attack. She almost panicked, until a shadow fell from the sky. A black hooded figure landed in between Neo and Mimic, taking the latter by surprise. But not Neo, who only tapped her foot and glared up at her dark lover. _What took you so long?_

The figure turned, and red eyes told her Ember was already in control. " **Kept you waiting? Well, now we're here.** " Ember turned to face her opponent. " **And you aren't going anywhere, Mimic.** "

* * *

It was Reaper's turn to wake up to the unusual sensation of being in bed alone. She sat up and looked around for Neo. Her eyes fell on the desk, where Detective Black's case file lay along with a note. Reaper rushed to the note in a panic.

 _ **She didn't…**_

"No, Ember. She didn't, Neo is smarter than that." Reaper replied confidently.

 _ **I told you she would run off on her own.**_

"She wouldn't break custody just to face Mimic alone. It's not her style." Reaper picked up the note.

 _Reaper, I'm sorry. I swiped the file and saw the note. I can't do nothing while she is targeting you. I have a plan, but I had to break custody. She will be watching, and won't show up if she thinks others are with me. She likes using my 'first's'. Well, I'm going to the place where we first met. I'm confident she will meet me there. Neo._

 _ **What?**_

"Told you." Reaper smiled.

 _ **I was sure she would…**_

"Neo isn't stupid. What, did you think this would be more like a movie?" Reaper walked over to Weiss and Blake to shake them awake.

"Reaper?" Weiss awoke slowly. "What's going on?"

"Neo has a plan. She already started it. We're going to catch Mimic today." Were the first words the heiress heard when she woke up.

"What!?" She was wide awake immediately, and furious. She looked around the dorm and saw no Neo. "Uughh… I can already feel the headache…"

The girls got ready quickly, and Weiss and Blake read over the note. "The place she first met you?" Blake asked. "What, the highway?"

"Or maybe the train tracks from Mountain Glenn?" Weiss theorized.

"But she never actually saw her-"

"The alley." Reaper interrupted.

The other two looked at her in confusion. "What alley?" Weiss asked.

"She's not talking about where she first met 'Ruby'. She's talking about where she first met 'Reaper'. Where 'Reaper' was born, Really." The scythe master explained. "An alleyway, in Vale. She recruited me from there and we went to free Torchwick. I took my new name that day."

Blake and Weiss looked over the note again. Weiss looked up and nodded. "All right. Reaper, you and I will go to Neo. Blake, I want you to return Detective Black's case file, and while you're there, tell him what's happening. Hopefully we can keep Mimic there long enough for him to come and pick her up."

"Right." Blake nodded and headed to the door, folder in hand.

"Alright, Reaper." Weiss looked to her. "You know where this alley is. Lead the way."

* * *

"NEO IS MINE!... I'm sorry. I don't want to do this… but they must have brainwashed you… it's the only explanation…"

Reaper watched the entire interaction from the rooftops. Mimic attempting to claim Neo was enough to get Reaper angry. Drawing her weapon sent Reaper over the edge. The scythe master jumped, and she was Ember before she hit the ground. Her eyes found Mimic first, who staggered backward from the woman's sudden appearance.

Then she heard the tapping of her impatient lover's foot. She turned and smirked. " **Kept you waiting? Well, now we're here. And you aren't going anywhere, Mimic.** "

Mimic was torn between running and trying to save Neopolitan from the woman who stood between them now. The dark woman unfolding her massive scythe made the decision easy. _I can't be of help to Neo if I'm dead._ Mimic turned to run, but found herself cut off by a massive wall of ice. Weiss looked down from the rooftop, hesitant to join the fray. _Ember is about to fight in a narrow space. I better just stay out of her way._

Mimic turned and readied herself to fight. She had no other choice at this point. Ember swung, and Mimic barely managed to avoid the attack, cart-wheeling _over_ Brutal Thorn's blade. She brought her foot down on Ember's face as she flipped, but soon realized she should have left that opportunity alone. It placed her right in front of the scythe master, who used the backside of her weapon to send her flying back down the alleyway.

She recovered quickly, reaching out with her hand and flipping back onto her feet before she landed. Neo rushed in and attacked, an attack Mimic artfully dodged. The imposter's counter was also dodged by Neo's own skill. Punch, kick, grapple, flip, cartwheel… The two traded blows without actually landing a strike. Dodges, blocks, and reversals aided them both. If Ember didn't know any better, she would have thought they were dancing.

However, Mimic was only copying a style Neo had developed and perfected, and in the end, it proved true. The first hard strike came from Neo's hand to Mimic's gut, and staggered the copycat. It gave Neo the opportunity to turn the tables. She grabbed Mimic successfully and, utilizing a flip of her own, tossed the imposter end over end. As Mimic hit the ground, Neo jumped once more, flipping and building momentum. Just as Mimic's back settled on the concrete, Neo's foot followed up with a heavy gut-stomp.

From the roof, Weiss got a perfect view of the next scene. Mimic stood slowly, her position having returned to being in front of the ice wall. Ember and Neo nodded, devising a plan in their heads. It amazed Weiss that those two (or three?) had such a powerful connection, worked so well together, that they formulated a plan in a silent instant. Ember spun, Neo jumped, and as the smaller girl's feet landed on the blade of the scythe, the taller girl pulled the trigger, catapulting Neo straight to their opponent.

It was too fast for Mimic to react, and the multi-colored ex-criminal slammed into her at high speeds. They tumbled for a second before Neo found her feet. She solidified her stance and threw Mimic, transferring that speed to the imposter. The imposter hit the ice wall with enough force to crack it, and she was harshly reminded of her previous defeat.

There was another gunshot, and Neo teleported away. As the flash died, Mimic saw Ember flying towards her, scythe drawn back and ready to swing. Again, she was reminded of her previous fight as the ice wall shattered with the force she was struck with, and she felt her Aura break. Ember stood over her, glaring at her. The siren of Detective Black's vehicle sounded, and Mimic knew she didn't have the strength to run.

Neo knew too, and her bloodlust from earlier came to call again. She ripped Brutal Thorn out of Ember's hand and charged, swinging it at Mimic. The change happened so fast that Mimic barely raised her hands to try and stop the scythe. Neo's inexperience with the weapon was clear as the blade would have missed in the first place, though it did slice through Mimic's glove and graze her hand. From here, Mimic attempted to hold the blade in place.

Something changed though. Neo didn't take any real notice, but Mimic's eyes appeared to gloss over. She became unfocused. The only thing Neo did notice was the imposter's grip slackened. She thrust the blade forward, striking Mimic with the blunt top and knocking her out. The colorful ex-criminal brought the scythe up again, but this time Ember was there to catch it. Neo kept hold of the handle, ready to finish this, while Ember stood behind her with one hand gripping the shaft near the scythe head.

" **Neo, don't kill her.** " Neo kept her stance, craning her head behind her and glaring at Ember with righteous anger in her eyes." **She may deserve it, but don't kill her. She's subdued, and can be arrested, thanks to you. But you broke custody to make that happen. If you kill her now, it could undo everything we worked hard to accomplish. I don't want to lose you, and neither does Reaper.** "

Ember let go of the blade, and Neo turned her gaze back to Mimic. She brought the scythe down, slamming it into the concrete next to Mimic's head. The imposter herself was left undisturbed. Neo let go of the scythe and looked back to Ember, who was now Reaper again. "I know." Reaper responded to the look on her lover's eyes. "And if she does come after us again, we'll see what happens. But we're huntresses now, both of us. Or at least, training to be. Death can't be our go-to."

Neo nodded, understanding.

* * *

Mimic was taken to the Valen Asylum for the Criminally Insane's low security ward. Team WBRN, along with Detective Black, watched her from the glass into her room. She had been changed, her contacts taken out, and her hair had proven to be a wig. Now the blonde haired, blue eyed woman lay in a white gown, and she looked nothing like Neopolitan anymore. "A master of disguise, that one." Weiss commented.

"She never fooled me." Reaper responded.

"Somehow, I feel that doesn't count. I don't think you ever stop staring at Neo." Blake teased.

"I do sometimes!" Reaper defended.

'When Professor Port yells at you for it.' Neo signed.

"Hey, he only did that once. And aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Reaper huffed.

"Excuse me." An older man in a gray suit appeared at the door, cutting the girls off. "Is this the room of the woman known as… 'Mimic'?"

Detective Black looked him over carefully. "It is. You're not a doctor here, though?"

"No, but I am _her_ doctor." The man told them. He approached the window and looked at the girl. "Her name is Chamillia Matild. I've known her for years."

"Matild! I told you it stood for something." Weiss shot.

"Eh, I like Mimic better." Reaper shrugged.

"Isn't that exactly what I warned against?" Weiss crossed her arms and huffed.

"You know her? You're her _doctor_?" Blake asked.

"Yes and yes." The doctor replied patiently.

"So, you know things, don't you? You can help us understand this situation?" Detective Black asked.

"I can." The doctor answered.

"Then please do."

The doctor sat down on a nearby chair, and gestured the rest to all take seats. "I started treating Matild when her parents were killed. They were not nice people themselves, but they were good parents to her. She loved them. But they were hunted by a rouge Huntsmen, who took a contract to… assassinate them.

"She was still just a child when it happened. She watched her family get torn apart. It's enough to break anybody's mind. Her mind tried to save itself, turn the grief into something else. It accidently activated her Semblance."

"She has a Semblance?" Weiss asked, astonished. "How come we haven't seen it?"

"But you have." The doctor looked through the glass again. "It's a form of empathy link. When she touched the huntsman's weapon, his memories flooded her. Huntsmen and huntresses pour their aura into their weapons to fight. After prolonged usage, a piece of the soul stays with the weapon always. In this way, she touched his soul. As her brain was trying to find a way to cope, it absorbed these memories readily. She managed to kill the man with his own weapon before the change rooted, but it was still too late to save Chamillia herself. That was the first time she… changed.

"When she came to, she essentially was the huntsman now. She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she wasn't the original. Her young mind's desire for her parents transformed into an obsession with finding a parent in him. But he was dead, and she couldn't accept that she killed him. I was a friend to the family, and when I came around to check on them, she was mutilating her father's corpse with the weapon, attempting to exact some form of revenge."

The group looked through the glass with new understanding for the girl behind it. And it was a girl, Reaper now realized. The shape of her face, the curve of her body… "This didn't happen that long ago, did it?"

"No. She was only eight years old at the time." The doctor answered. "Now, she is nearing twelve."

"How many times has she 'changed' then?" Weiss asked.

The doctor sighed. "With this latest incident, four. I have managed to find her before things got bad the other times, and treated her. She always managed to find and separate 'Matild' again. But I lost track of her just before this latest change… I only found her when the police report was made public following her arrest."

The group took in this information. It was Detective Black who spoke up first. "Thank you for the information. I assume you want to be the one to treat her again?"

"Please." The doctor nodded desperately.

"She cannot leave the Asylum. I hope you can find a place to stay in Vale." Black told him.

"I will find one. She will need my help. It's strange… she was doing so well before this incident." The doctor began speaking mostly to himself, arranging his thoughts for his future treatment plans. "She had even taken to wearing gloves… perhaps there was a tear…"

"Well, Neo's weapon looked like an umbrella, and was left behind in an alley. She couldn't have known it was a weapon." Reaper told him.

"Ah, that makes sense then." He nodded. "I am sorry. This is the first time her obsession manifested as a desire to be _with_ the original."

"It's fine… speaking of, Neo, are you going to take your umbrella back?" Reaper asked.

Neo looked through the glass and shook her head. 'Even if you didn't break it, that weapon has too much blood on it now.' She signed. 'This is a new leaf. I want the new, unbloodied weapon.'

Reaper smiled. "Then our work here is done. Let's go home."

* * *

Neo was woken by Blake the next morning. Then again by Reaper, before being carried into the shower again. Throughout all the classes, it was almost strange how the next day felt so… _normal_ , following Mimic's arrest. "Your weapon is almost finished! Just a few touches." Reaper promised in the elective. The whole thing made Neo smile. That smile deflated back at WBRN dorm when Weiss showed them a new training schedule.

"What is all this _for_?" Reaper asked, irritated (as if that was unusual in itself).

"I talked to Glynda today." Weiss told them. "Even with two convicts, we're cleared to fight in the tournament. I'm going to make sure we're ready."

 _The tournament?_ Neo found her smile once again.

* * *

 **Here we are! Act 1 is all done with. How did you guys like it? I hope i've done the original justice so far. I've been writing other stories while i've been uploading this, but unfortunately, none of them are upload ready. So my page will be inactive while i write Act 2 to BR2. I hope you guys are ready for the Vytal tournament! So as always, follow, review, and all that good stuff. I love hearing what you guys have to say! See you soon! (hopefully)  
**


	8. Ready, Set

Act 2  
The Vytal Festival

The sun steadily set on a clear day, turning the sky a breathtaking orange. From a cliff overlooking the sea, the sun could be viewed at such an angle that it seemed to halo around a stone tablet. Upon the stone tablet was an inscription, _Thus Kindly I Scatter_. This marked the memorial for Summer Rose.

 _Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

Footsteps crushed the leaves underneath heavy black boots. A cape billowed in the breeze as the tall hooded figure approached the memorial marker. Once at the foot of the slab, the figure lowered her hood and opened silver eyes, staring down the stone.

 _ **You sure you're up for this?**_

Reaper hesitated as she read the name on the headpiece. _Shut up, Ember,_ Reaper mentally scolded her forced life-long mental companion. Another sigh of hesitation before the scythe master opened her real mouth.

"Hey, mo-… umm… hey, Summer…" Reaper shifted her weight, visibly uncomfortable. "This is more Ruby's thing… I just… I don't even know what I'm doing here…."

The black clad huntress turned to walk away, and managed to take a step away before stopping. "I thought this would turn into something. Like I would find some resolution. But all I get is a feeling that I don't belong here…" Silver eyes settled on another headstone nearby, this one reading _Yang Xiao Long._ "I don't belong… I'm sure if you were still here, you wouldn't even recognize me as your daughter. But you're not here anymore, are you? And that's the whole point…"

Reaper turned back around, more confident in her presence here. "I don't think I'll be coming back here again. Any time soon, at least. Ruby never got her chance to say a final goodbye… So I'll pass it along for her. Goodbye… mom…"

Reaper felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at the hand's owner, Weiss Schnee, her chaperone for this trip. "It's okay. I'm sure there is still a piece of Ruby, somewhere deep inside."

Reaper smiled and shook her head, taking Weiss's hand off her shoulder. "I know what you're trying to say, and I appreciate what you're trying to do, but… I don't think so. I'm not sure I would even want that to be true."

"Why not?" Weiss asked.

"Why do you think I am the way I am in the first place?" Reaper looked down at her hands. She could imagine all the blood on them. "Ruby couldn't handle what she was doing. Do you think she could hold the weight of her sins? My past would crush her, and you know it."

Weiss's face fell. "You really think there's no chance?"

Reaper laughed softly. "No Weiss, I don't think there is. Though I do appreciate you finally being open with those thoughts."

"I… I'm sorry." The heiress tried to recover.

"It's fine." Reaper assured. "I understand."

Another hand attempted to comfort Reaper, this time lower on her arm. Considering it was Neopolitan's hand this time, that may have been as far as she could reach. Reaper smiled and tossed her arm around her small lover and pulled her in. Weiss couldn't help but smile, seeing a rare moment of seeming innocence and purity between the two rambunctious ex-criminals.

Until Neo jumped in place a little, and Reaper smirked. Weiss sighed, recognizing the signs of Reaper pinching a choice location on her lover's lower body. "Like this is the appropriate place for that?" Weiss scolded.

"For what?" Reaper tried to play innocent, but soon was pinched herself. Neo made it a lot more obvious to boot.

"That." Was Weiss's response. "Can you two at least _try_ to tone it down? We have another reason to be here today, remember?"

"Right…" Reaper nodded. Neo nodded as well.

 _Bark!_

The sound got Neo's attention immediately, and she turned to see one of the most adorable creatures she had ever had hope to lay eyes on. She broke away from Reaper to see the little dog that had bounded up to them. She picked the dog up in her arms and gave her lover a look that said, _can I keep it!?_

Reaper giggled, ( _Actually giggled,_ Weiss thought in amazement). "I already do." Reaper told Neo. "That's Zwei!"

Neo looked as though all her dreams had come true in an instant. She looked over Zwei with newfound admiration. She could feel Zwei scanning her, judging her, almost as if deciding if she was good enough to be with his master. A happy bark and a nuzzle told her he seemed to agree.

Weiss watched, slightly jealous, while Zwei and Neo hit it off. "Reaper, if Zwei is here, he can't be far behind."

Reaper's face steeled over. "I know."

"Are you ready for this?" Weiss asked, genuinely concerned.

"As ready as I will ever be. Let's get this over with."

Weiss nodded and the two watched the tree line. Soon enough, out of the brush, a newcomer strode. The man looked around and his eyes quickly feel on Reaper's. The two locked their vision, and the silence was palpable.

"Hello, Taiyang." Reaper greeted.

Taiyang smirked. "Hello, Ruby."

The scythe master sighed. "That's still not my name. It's even legal now."

"And I'm still your father. No matter what your name is." Taiyang pointed out.

"Right… Sorry, Taiy-" Reaper caught herself. "I mean… sorry, dad."

Taiyang smiled and approached his daughter, taking her into an embrace. "Long time no see, kiddo."

Reaper hugged back tentatively. "I don't think we've seen each other since Ruby started her second year at Beacon, after the festival and the-… the funeral."

Taiyang broke away and looked his daughter in the eye. "You mean since _you_ started your second year."

"Dad." Reaper warned.

Taiyang raised his hands in surrender. "All right, all right. Hey, not even Reaper can blame an old man for trying, right?"

"I suppose not." Reaper admitted, feeling less and less anxious as the meeting drew on.

Taiynag looked around and found Neo, still holding Zwei. The energy in the air changed as he rounded on the small ex-criminal. "So, you're the one? Neopolitan, right?"

Neo nodded.

Taiyang looked between her and Zwei. "Given everything that's happen, and your current relationship with my daughter, I really want to hate you…" he admitted.

"But…?" Reaper encouraged hopefully.

 _Sigh_ "But…" Taiyang relented. "Zwei is a pretty good judge of character, and he seems to be just fine with you… So, how about I keep it to a… polite dislike, let's say."

'Polite dislike?' Neo slowly signed with one hand.

"With _cautiously_ considered… promotions, so to speak." Taiyang finished.

Neo nodded, understanding. When it came to Reaper's father, she would take what she could get.

"Do you have a place to stay after the festival?" Taiyang asked her. She shook her head no, and the aged huntsmen looked between all three girls, thinking. "Fine. Weiss, I'll be taking Neo over the break as well."

Weiss breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mr. Xiao Long."

"If only to keep an eye on her." The paternal figure quickly covered.

"Of course." Reaper smiled, smelling the bullshit all over that statement.

"So, when does the tournament start again?" Taiyang asked Weiss.

"In a few days. We'll be heading back to Beacon in a few hours, then a day of rest, a day of training, and another day of rest, before the tournament begins." Weiss answered.

"A few hours?"

"Well, I figured you may want to have a dinner with your daughter." Weiss smiled knowingly.

Taiyang smiled about a mile wide, before pointing to Neo. "Does she have to come too?"

"Dad!" Reaper scolded.

"Hey! Baby steps, all right? I already accepted her… a little…" Taiyang shrugged.

"And yes, she does. She is under my supervision still, same as Reaper." Weiss told him.

"Alright." Taiyang turned to his daughter. "Reaper… let's go home."

* * *

Dawn broke on the day of the tournament. The rising sun lit up WBRN dorm, and a feline faunus was quietly rousted by the change in lighting. She sat up carefully as to not disturb the heiress that slept next to her, and swung her leg out of bed. She frowned as she laid eyes on the metal cap on her stump.

"Are you okay, honey?"

Blake turned and smiled, seeing her girlfriend sitting up. The bedhead was an adorable contrast to the normal standards Weiss kept up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… missing simpler times I suppose." Blake replied.

Weiss reached out slowly, ready to pull away if Blake seemed hesitant. She wasn't, and Weiss's fingers made contact with the metal plate. "Creature and Roman are still locked up, and apparently, Mimic is making excellent progress. We _are_ in simpler times. We made it Blake. Maybe not intact, but it's finally all over."

Blake smiled. "Be careful what you say."

"Oh, cheer up, would you?" Weiss scolded.

"Fine, fine. We have things to do today, after all." Blake kissed Weiss's cheek.

The heiress looked over her girlfriend, and her eyes strayed from her stump to the sleek black prosthetic nearby. "Can… I help you?"

"Weiss, I don't need help putting it on." Blake reminded her. The faunus didn't enjoy feeling crippled.

"I know, and I don't mean to say you can't… I just…" Weiss stumbled over her words.

Blake sighed and found her smile again. "All right…"

Weiss picked the piece up carefully and slowly aligned all the connectors while Blake held up her stump. The heiress was taking longer than Blake could put it on herself, but she didn't say anything. Weiss clamped on the final latches and twisted the last bit into place, connecting it to her girlfriend's aura. "It's on right?"

"Yes. Thank you, Weiss." Blake noticed Weiss's hands lingering high on her leg, past where metal ended and skin began. The faunus's breath hitched. _Is she…?_

When Weiss looked back to her hands and noticed where they were, she quickly flustered and pulled them away. Face burning red, she muttered a quick apology before rushing into the bathroom. Blake sighed. _Damn it… It's been over a year… her shyness on the matter is cute, but sometimes I wish she would take a que from one of my books…_

It was true Blake had started to feel pent-up for a while now. At first, 'taking her time in the shower' had been enough, as she noted Weiss's discomfort. The heiress was pure in more ways than one, and exceedingly nervous and hesitant on anything 'dirty'. Even some heavy flirting was beyond Weiss's comfort zone. But it was getting harder and harder, and she wished her girlfriend would just surprise her one night with lingerie and toys. And maybe a whip. _And maybe I should consider different reading material_ , Blake realized suddenly.

"One might say you do it to yourself, 'not-so-ninja-of-love'." Reaper teased.

Blake whipped around and stared at the dark dressed woman, who was sitting at the desk and enjoying her drink. "How… long have you been awake?"

"Longer than you and Weiss. You guys are so blind when you get all lovey dovey." Reaper replied, and took another sip.

"Is it really that obvious…?" Blake asked.

"To me, but you've seen me and Neo." Reaper answered.

"Unfortunately…" Blake's mind bombarded her with unwanted images of when she and Weiss walked in on the two ex-criminals making a sweaty mess of their bed a few nights ago.

"Besides, Weiss doesn't think about you that way." Reaper told her.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked, nervously.

"This is going to sound weird, but she loves you too much." Reaper explained. "She doesn't want to ruin things with senseless sex."

"But it wouldn't be senseless, and it would do the exact opposite of 'ruin things'." Blake argued.

"And I absolutely agree." Reaper told her. "But the only reference she has to sex is my and Neo's admittedly rough nights. It certainly doesn't look like love-making from the outside, I'm sure."

"More like hate-fucking." Blake responded not-so-subtley, her mind playing host to the disturbing images once more.

"That's only when Ember's in control." Reaper confessed.

"Wait, Neo does it with both of you?" Blake asked, surprised.

"Are you really surprised?" The scythe master raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, yeah…" The faunus confessed. "I keep forgetting that with you, Neo basically is dating two people in the same person."

"It certainly keeps things interesting." Reaper smiled. "Listen, Blake, the last thing you want to do with Weiss is press this issue. Let her come around, or she'll just get nervous and put it off even longer."

"How long do I have to wait?" Blake asked, not thinking she would get an answer.

"Well… her showers are getting longer as well." Reaper pointed out. "It's really becoming an inconvenience, hence my early wake up. I had to shower before you two."

Blake looked to the bathroom door and realized her friend was right. She kept her smile hidden.

"Well, I'm going to get to breakfast." Reaper killed the last of her glass and stood up. "Neo should be ready to go soon. She woke late and decided to steal JNPR's shower."

"See you soon." Blake waved her off as she left.

Across the hall, she was about to knock when the door opened, revealing her multi-colored lover. "Well, just who I came to see. It's almost like unwrapping a gift early…"

Neo smirked. 'I'm even colorful like wrapping, eh?'

The opening was too wide for Reaper not to take it. "So, when do I get to unwrap you?"

"At least close the door before you do… stuff!" Jaune shouted from inside the room.

Reaper's mind fired an immediate idea and she strode past Neo and into the room. "Hey, can I steal Nora?"

"What? Why?" Jaune asked.

"Stuff." Reaper told him. "Pretty please?"

"Hey, he's not the boss of me!" Nora interjected, jumping up from her bed.

"As team leader I am, and I will restrict you if this is another prank idea!" Jaune shouted. Pyrrha shuddered, images of cheese wheels in her mind.

"It's not another prank, I promise!" The ex-criminal insisted.

Pyrrha and Ren watched nervously. Jaune sighed. "Fine. Take her."

"Wooo!" Nora shouted, bounding out of the room. Once they were out of earshot of JNPR dorm, she asked, "So, what's the prank?"

"Just… bear with me on this…"

By the time they reached the festival grounds, Nora was filled in on Reaper's plan and one hundred percent on board. "Thanks, Nora. Now, I gotta meet with my team mates in at the stadium… Never know when we'll be on! Ready Neo?"

 _Always._ Neo nodded vigorously, and the pair took off for the arena.

* * *

 **It's here! Welcome back, and i hope this will be worth the wait! The holidays kind of slowed down my writing (as i played through _all_ the Mass Effects for the first time, and hung out with family, of course) but i've been powering through and finished Act two! six chapters over the next six weeks of tournament goodness! And other kinds of goodness... Don't forget to Review, Follow, and Favorite!**


	9. Fight! Round one!

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the 41st biannual Vytal Festival Tournament!" Professor Port announced loudly over the loudspeakers. "Joining me in the grandstand is Professor-"

" _Doctor!"_

"Doctor Oobeck!" Port finished, unimpeded by his slipup. "Barty, why don't we start the randomization process while you explain the rules?"

"Why, certainly, Peter!"

Reaper tuned out the rest. She knew the rules, and all she really needed to know was she needed to keep winning until the trophy was hers. _You sure you're ready for this?_

 _ **Not at all. This thing is uncomfortable.**_

 _We gotta wear it though._

 _ **I know…**_

"And it seems the randomization is complete!" Oobleck announced, drawing Reaper's attention back. "The first match of the tournament is team WBRN of Beacon vs Team BRNZ of Haven!"

 _BRNZ…_ Reaper searched her memory. _Beanie girl…_ "Weiss, I have a plan." Reaper announced. The rest of team WBRN listened to her idea.

The contestants met in the center of the field. A look at May Zedong of team BRNZ confirmed Reaper's suspicions, and Weiss nodded.

City ruins rose behind team WBRN as a forest appeared behind team BRNZ. Port began the countdown. "Three… Two… One… Begin!"

May turned and ran for the trees, using her team's biome to her advantage. She jumped up to a vantage point and scanned the field. _Roy and the Schnee girl… funny, I could have sworn her and the cat faunus were on a different team…_ May thought, scanning over Blake fighting Brawnz. _who are the new two?_ Her scope found Reaper keeping Nolan occupied in a one on one, her weapon fully extended. _A scythe… but black? I've only ever seen the red hooded girl use a scythe like that._

 _If that is the same girl, and that scythe is anything like her last one, that it's a sniper rifle as well._ May realized. _I can't have that._ May settled on her first target, lining up her shot. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and pulled the trigger.

Instead of hitting its target, the bullet instead flashed off a pink and brown mass. A circle, split into alternating pink and brown slices. May looked over her scope and saw the circle fold and shrink, like an umbrella top being closed. _Because that's what it is._ May realized, cursing herself. She had forgotten to scan for the fourth WBRN fighter before firing.

Neo ran her hand down the marble white shaft, closing the umbrella with a smirk plain as day on her face. She sensed Reaper behind her and jumped, tagging in and taker her lover's place in the scuffle with Nolan. The boy was surprise by the sudden shift, but not nearly as surprised as May when she saw Reaper turn her attention towards her. A scope popped out of the Scythe's handle and the black cloaked woman winked at May before vanishing in a cloud of red petals.

May realized what this meant instantly, and frantically searched the buildings across from her for her opponent. Before she could even hope to find Reaper's location, she was slammed off the tree by a burn round. She hit the grass hard, but was back on her feet in but a moment, scanning where she heard her foe's shot. Seeing nothing, she elected to find a new nest herself, one Reaper hopefully wouldn't find so easily.

Reaper found herself a shadowed cubby in the ruins where she could scan out a nearby window. She took a curious look towards where she last knew where May was. _Good. She's not stupid. This might be fun!_

 _ **Can't wait till I can just smash shit.**_

"Be quiet, or you may not get a chance."

 _ **Point…**_

Reaper was glad she could devote all her attention to the task at hand. What she didn't know was it was already too late. While speaking to Ember, she had shifter her position slightly, putting herself in the light. A gunshot and a high-powered impact on her shoulder made her mistake clear to her. Reaper retreated into shadow, her heart pounding. _Fuck! She is good. I can't afford to get distracted…_

"Oh ho! Didn't see that coming, did she?" Oobleck shouted over the loudspeakers, catching Reaper's attention.

"I don't see why. Reaper does fine in my class." Port countered.

"Reaper, or Ember?" Oobleck pointed out. "For those of you at home who don't follow the latest crime news, our Reaper is an ex-criminal being rehabilitated at Beacon by becoming a Huntress. And through, um… personal details, it's possible she was distracted by her, eh… other self, Ember."

"Great, just give away my secrets…" Reaper lamented.

"Regardless, this is shaping up to be a rather unique fight!" Port cheered, Getting Reaper's attention once more. "I can't remember the last time I saw a tournament fight play out like this!"

"It seems both teams have fallen into a shared strategy." Oobleck commentated. "Though the quarrels are still going, it is clear they are holding back and saving their stamina. This is a rare occurrence indeed for a Vytal Festival Match. A long range shootout. A battle of wits and precision. A sniper fight!"

 _So we're the focus… I better get back to the fight. Need to find a new Nest. She's likely not still where she shot me from by now either. But I do have a massive advantage… I can flash to my next post without being seen._ Reaper confirmed her decision and used her semblance to find a new post.

From across the field May found her next spot and began her scan. She got a shot of on her opponent, but the black cloaked woman was distracted. She wouldn't make that mistake again, which meant May wouldn't have that opening again. She scanned the field slowly, looking for any hint of Reaper.

 _There!_ A barrel pointed itself out a window. May steadied her aim and noticed that the enemy barrel was already pointed right at her. Her mind barely registered surprise before she was blasted off her feet once again.

Reaper smiled and cocked her rifle, disappearing again before May recovered. The Sniper from BRNZ jumped back onto her feet, frustrated with herself. Even if the girl from Beacon was better than her, she knew she couldn't be _this_ bad! Her only shot so far was an opportunistic potshot. She frowned and found her new post. _The only thing this girl's semblance gets her is unseen movement. The fact that I've never been shot the second I found a place to stop tells me she still has to look for me. I still have a chance._ May took a deep breath, calming her mind. Anger would do her no favors. She peeked out of her hiding spot, putting her scope to her eye, and scanned.

Reaper found the next spot and smiled. This was going well for her so far. She looked out of her nest and examined the forest across from her. The matte barrel was safe in the nest, but Reaper began to grow impatient. She wasn't seeing May, and she was running short on places to look. She was sure she had already passed over that tree branch three times now…

From within the ruined city biome May smiled. So far, she had stuck to her teams 'side' in the forest. She was right to suspect the Reaper wouldn't expect her on WBRN's 'side' in the ruins. She took aim, took a deep breath, exhaled, and pulled the trigger. Reaper was blindsided by a Shock round to the temple, knocking her to the ground.

May quickly chambered her next round. If she could shoot Reaper again before she vanished, it could even the odds. Her scope focused on Reaper's location, and she saw… nothing. She jumped back, not wanting to be where she was. Her decision was none too soon, as a bullet zinged by where her own head was a moment before and dug into the wall. May turned and ran, keeping low and behind objects.

Reaper was furious at herself, standing on the edge where city ruins turned to forest. _How could I not anticipate her switching biomes? Damn it…_ Reaper scanned the field slowly. She frowned, watching her team mates. Even taking their time and holding back, the battle was beginning to wear them. She had to finish this quickly, which meant some creative thinking…

May checked Her scope carefully. She knew she was a decent sniper, but sniping the mindless beasts of Grimm was different than hunting someone who could hunt back. She was curious if she would have faced off against another sniper last year if her team wasn't taken out so early… _There!_ May focused at the top of a nearby tower. A black cape fluttered in the wind. _She must be facing away from me._ May took the shot.

The bullet struck the cape, which knocked away the stick that was holding it up. Her opponent was nowhere to be seen. May's eye widened. She stood in shocked silence, waiting for Reaper's next shot. But it never came. _Maybe she couldn't track my gunshot…_ May turned slowly… and came face to face with the tip of a black barrel, a scythe extending downward from the tip. And on the other side of the gun, a smirking redhead that winked a silver eye.

May would take home many lessons from that fight. One of them would be how painful an exploding Burn round at point blank range felt against the face when fired from a powerful rifle. She was blasted right out of the ruin and all the way onto the center circle of the arena. She opened her eye and wearily looked skyward, seeing a dark figure approaching her. The enemy sniper had taken the time to collect her cloak, and it flowed behind her.

 _The cloak, the sniper, those silver eyes… there's no way it's not…_ "Ruby?" May asked.

Reaper stopped suddenly. May witnessed her eyes slowly shift and fade from bright silver to a burning red. One of them twitched. " **That. Is not. MY NAME!** " Reaper shouted, bringing down Brutal Thorn. The ground beneath May shattered, and she barely had enough aura to keep herself from breaking a bone as she fell out of the arena bounds.

"Oh my god! Someone go check on her!" Oobleck shouted.

"She'll be fine," Port assured, "but Reaper better contain her anger before she causes any _real_ problems."

 _Damn it Ember!_

" **Sorry, boss…** "

 _Well, it looks like you're in control now. Finish the fight._

" **Sir, yes, sir.** " Ember replied dryly.

Neo smiled. Now that the sniper was out of the way, it was time for her to let loose. Nolan upped the ante as well, but even letting loose his full skill couldn't compensate for the fact that Neo suddenly had a long thin blade coming out of her umbrella. Nolan saw the weapon was sectioned all the way up the blade, providing a lot of weak points. He couldn't guess what the advantage was supposed to be, but he decided to try and break the blade.

He swung his baton down and managed to make the blade separate at the halfway point, making it angel at 90 degrees. He wasn't happy to see the blade spring back into place rather than fall to the ground. Especially since Neo used that fact to counter and force Nolan back a few steps. Nolan looked over the blade again, and Neo was tired of waiting. She hadn't had a chance to really test her new weapon before now. The sections came apart on their own, the blade stretched out with razor wire holding the pieces together.

As Neo strut, her bladed whip dragged along the ground behind her. The deadly petite liked to think that her fighting was very artful, almost like dancing. With spins and twirls and flicks of her wrist, Neo guided her whip. It felt less like she was using it and more like she was simply telling it where to go and letting it decide how it got there. It felt natural. It felt amazing. And Nolan never stood a chance, the boy's aura dropped like a stone against the elegant assault.

"An excellent weapon design by miss… uh… hey Barty, did you ever have Neopolitan's last name on your rosters?" Port asked his friend and colleague.

"Come to think of it, never, no." Doctor Oobleck replied. "I accidently called her miss Rose once. She didn't seem to mind."

"Well, anyway," Professor port continued, back in commentator mode. "An excellent weapon design held by Neopolitan! No doubt the handiwork of the actual miss Rose?"

"Yes, Reaper has a particular talent for weapon design. Her own Crescent- wait, I'm sorry, I mean Brutal Thorn, is also her design, and built with her own hands." Oobleck continued.

While Ember and Neo were finishing off their two opponents, Weiss was trying to figure out how to take down her own. A thought came to mind, an idea she had in practice weeks ago. "Checkmate!" Weiss shouted. Ember and Neo seamlessly took over Blake's fight against Brawnz, allowing to faunus to break away and assist her girlfriend. Once there, Weiss spoke again. "Blast off." Blake nodded.

Since Reaper came back, the now-smartass Rose had once stated that Blake was 'so ninja', she might as well carry her own smoke bombs. To the scythe master's surprise, Blake took the advice seriously. She used one now to blind Roy, and when the fog cleared, he was surrounded by 'Blakes'. Not just that, but these 'Blakes' were on fire. Weiss smirked and set Myrtenaster to Burn dust and launched a small fireball Roy's way.

"Oh, shi-" was as far as Roy got before the all the Blake copies exploded, each with the force of a large grenade. He was rocketed skyward and away, falling at an angle and landed at the edge of the arena. He stood shakily and took a step back, where Blake was waiting with her foot out. He tripped and fell the last few feet out of the arena and rung out.

Weiss caught up with Blake and smiled. "I think we got this in the bag." Weiss confidently assessed.

Blake nodded in agreement. "Let's go find the other two."

The heiress and the ninja found the two ex-criminals dealing with Brawnz in an… unorthodox way. Weiss was honestly surprised there weren't already buzzers sounded to announce some kind of un-sportsmanship type foul. The man's aura was draining slowly because Neo had her whip wrapped around his neck. He would be choking (or even dead, considering the blades) if it weren't for his aura. And while he was incapacitated, Ember had pulled a marker from god knows where and was currently scribbling on his face.

"Really?" Weiss scolded, making Ember look up.

" **Come on, Weiss. It's actually not against the rules. We checked.** " Ember responded.

"You checked? You were planning this?" Blake asked, somehow still shocked by her old friend's new found antics.

" **Yeah?** " Ember replied as if it were obvious.

"Well, I'm sure it will be now." Weiss warns.

" **So let us enjoy it while we can!** " Ember argued.

"Ember!" Weiss shouted.

" **Fine… I'm just gonna finish this mustache. It's very dashing.** " Ember told her leader. Neo nodded, likely in agreement to the fact the mustache was dashing. Once Ember capped the marker, Neo released Brawnz's neck with a sharp tug. He was only free long enough to be kicked by Ember, who shattered his aura in the process, effectively eliminating him.

The buzzer then sounded to announce WBRN's victory. "Ladies and Gentleman, what a way to kick off the tournament! Excellent tactical moves by all of team WBRN. Now let's just hope that wasn't a _permanent_ marker…" Professor Port closed the match. "We have a few more matches left today, so be sure to get right back to the arena soon. For now, a short concession break."

The girls of WBRN couldn't help but smile. If this was only a prelude to how the rest of the tournament would go for them, then they had this in the bag. Ember caught a glint of gold in the crowd, and followed it to see Pyrrha.

Ember smiled. _**Our time will come, Golden Idol. Our time will come.**_

* * *

 **And the Vytal Festival kicks off!**

 **I had an idea i wanted to run by you guys, part of my attempts to expand Black Reaper in more than just story content (and also a bit of a personal challenge). I want to try and make a number of one-shots based off of prompts from you guys, set in the Black Reaper AU. If you already have prompt ideas, don't send them yet. I want to make sure it's something you, the readers, will want to read. plus, if it is a go, i will have a few special rules.**

 **Anyways, as always, Review, Follow, Favorite, and whatever else you can do to show your love! See you next week!**


	10. Peace and Complacency

May made her way through the crowd after leaving the arena. She searched the fairgrounds up and down until she found who she was looking for. Team WBRN were enjoying a victory meal at the noodle stand. "Thank god my card worked this time." She overheard Weiss say. She finished her approach and calmly tapped on Reaper's shoulder.

The dark woman turned around, and May was relieved to see silver eyes. "Hey, it's you. What's up?" The ex-criminal asked.

"I just wanted to apologize." May told her.

"For what?" Reaper raise an eyebrow.

"For calling you 'Ruby'. I asked around, and found out what happened to you, and… Now I know you hate being called that." May explained.

"It's fine!" Reaper assured. "Look, I shouldn't have gotten angry so quickly. _I'm_ sorry."

"Why did you flip so quickly? The past few months you seem to have actually been doing better." Blake realized.

Neo flashed a smug grin, knowing why Reaper had been having less rage-outs.

"I honestly think it has something to do with this." Reaper suggested, pointed at some device wrapped around her waist.

"That makes sense." Weiss acknowledged. "Yang's semblance wreaks enough havoc on your anger without the aid of technology."

"What is that?" May asked, pointing to the device.

"I have an unnaturally massive aura reserve." Reaper explained. "I was almost disqualified for it. It's not exactly fair. But Ozpin reached out, and apparently, some scientist in Atlas developed this belt that's meant to hinder Aura."

"As long as she's wearing that, she has the same amount of aura as everyone else." Weiss finished. "So to speak. It allows her to compete."

 _ **And I find it extremely uncomfortable… can we take it off now? We won't fight again anytime soon.**_

"Weiss, Ember wants to take the belt off." Reaper passed along.

"We won't be fighting again anytime soon, I guess." The leader nodded.

The scythe master unclasped and removed the belt with a hissing noise.

 _ **Freedom! Speaking of…**_

"Weiss…"

"What now, Reaper?"

"You remember when you told me to give you fair warning if Ember wanted to be topside?"

"…Yes..."

"Fair warning."

May watched Reaper pull a blade out and stab herself in the shoulder. "What the…!"

Reaper exhaled and her eyes opened red. She smirked at the small quiet woman next to her. " **Hey there, Ice Cream Cup.** "

'It's been a few weeks. I was beginning to think you had tired of being topside.' Neo signed back.

" **Well to be fair, it's not being topside I enjoy…** " Ember teased, pulling Neo close and kissing her.

May was utterly confused. She leaned in towards Blake and whispered. "Um… what just happened?"

"Don't try and understand." Blake advised. "It still confuses me sometimes…"

May only nodded and walked away. She had done what she came to do anyways. She needed to get back to her team.

" **So, who are we sending forward in the Vytal Tournament?** " Ember asked once she had her fill of Neo's lips for the time being.

"That's a good question." Blake agreed. "A combination of any of us would do alright… although… Weiss, I think we should at least send Reaper forward."

"Actually… I agree." Weiss nodded.

" **Wait, what? Really?** "

"Yeah. You two have never done anything to earn mistrust. You have both actually behaved… well… relatively… better at least. I was thinking about sending both of you actually, if you don't mind sitting the rest out Blake."

"No, yeah, I don't mind." Blake responded. "Actually, this could be really good for their rehabilitative custody as well. I know there hasn't been mention yet of the terms of custody itself, but it has to end at some point, with proof they're ready to be free citizens. This could be a really good first step."

" **Wow… um…** "

 _Use your words, Ember._

" **Thank you, both of you… from both of us. Three of us?** " Ember looked to her small lover. Neo nodded. " **Three of us.** "

"Well, don't let us down. Win one for Beacon, deal?" Weiss smiled.

'We promise'. Neo signed

* * *

Weiss returned to the dorm alone later that night. Nora had asked Blake for help on an assignment and was keeping her in the library, and Weiss was too tired to continue waiting. Ember and Neo were nowhere to be found, but Weiss wasn't worried. They wouldn't jeopardize their place at Beacon by going off-campus now. _Although, that doesn't mean those two aren't off getting in trouble…_ Weiss realized with a groan.

She was settling for bed when something caught her eye. A note sitting on her nightstand. With a curious eyebrow, she picked up the piece of paper and read…

 _Dear Love…_

 _I know you're hesitant about the things I am about to propose in this letter. The thought of it changing our relationship scares you. And it will change, but for the better, I promise. I don't want sex. I want_ you. _Because I know, I love you. So, I am going to do something unorthodox, something I haven't tried yet… taking control._

 _Weiss, love, I want you coming through that door in nothing but your nightgown tomorrow night. No words, no excuses, and nothing underneath… just let me take care of you._

 _Don't worry about anything else, I'll take care of everything. Pyrrha has agreed to you allow to change in JNPR dorm, and you know she won't say anything._

 _PS. Speaking of not saying anything, we don't need Reaper and Neo teasing us over this and ruining the mood._

Weiss felt herself immediately inflamed in areas she didn't ever wish to discuss. The letter was written in a font that made everything seem more seductive. And strangely enough… she found herself liking it. _Blake taking control… excites me? Can I give myself over so easily…_ Weiss found the answer surprising. Yes, she could. Because she trusted Blake. And she was right about Weiss being hesitant on the subject of making love. Who's to say she wasn't right about everything else?

Weiss crumpled the letter up and jammed it deep into the drawer of her dresser. Blake was also right about the other two not needing to know this was in the works. She would chicken out if they started teasing them. _And now only one thing left to do… take an 'extended' shower…_

* * *

The red sky stretched over the top of a dark continent. The ground seemed to manifest evil itself, filled with deep tar pits that unleashed that most dangerous of darkness's beasts. The Creatures of Grimm splashed and clawed their way out of these birthing pits, dozens at a time. And watching it all from its overlook on a lonely hillside was a castle.

This castle, in contrast to the landscape, was more pale. The structure appeared more to be made from bone than any brickwork. And at the far end of this daemonic cathedral was a large room with tall windows, one of which betrayed the face of the woman who ruled this shadow kingdom.

Her face was paled beyond white, with darkened veins criss-crossing the mortal canvass. Her hair was just as white, and most of her clothing was dark. The one part that stood out from the rest were her eyes. Beset in pure black were glowing sanguine irises. This creature had a name, one that even the people who knew her were hesitant to use.

"My queen?" One such subject approached his master. The toxic psychotic, who was venomous in more ways than one. The scorpion faunus assassin, Tyrian Callows.

"Hello, Tyrian," The dark mistress Salem remarked his presence, "Still skulking around, I see."

"I simply await your command, my queen," Tyrian assured, "I only wish to serve you, and ever since the attack on Beacon failed, you have seemed so… inactive?"

"Have I?" Salem asked, watching her subordinate in the window's reflection rather than turn to face him. "Then why stay, Tyrian? Why not leave like Watts and Rainart?"

"They have no faith in you, but I do!" Tyrian cried, "You only need me! A new plan and me! Just tell me what to do?"

"You say you have faith, yet you assume I have been sitting here for three years, allowing myself to have been defeated?" Salem accused. "Like I could ever be so weak."

"O-of course my Queen…" Tyrian quickly backtracked, "Please forgive me… I have been waiting for your orders, and they never came…"

"Subtlety and patience are required just now, two things you were never very good at," Salem explained, "Not that you don't have your uses, my loyal friend."

"But what of Cinder? Beacon? Surly the failure of the attack was quite the setback…" Tyrian asked.

"Indeed. And I have been working to overcome that setback ever since. First we needed a new subject to be our maiden," Salem's attention finally shifted to the door as it opened. "Ah, Tyrian allow me to introduce…"

A young woman stepped through the open doorway. She seemed blank in a way. Her skin, hair, and clothes were almost entirely pure white. An expensive, but rather plain jacket covered her torso, with a white skirt, white leggings (or they could have been her actual legs as far as Tyrian could tell), and white, heeled boots. The only thing about her that seemed out of place were her eyes. The irises were bright and colorful, though exactly what color they were Tyrian couldn't tell. They somehow seemed to shift constantly while staying the same. Tyrian could have sworn her eyes weren't red a second ago, even though he couldn't remember what color they were before they were blue. Whatever the case was, those purple irises unnerved him.

"…Leid Kale" Salem announced the new girl.

The Mistralian name was the only hint to Kale's heritage. The woman was so bland, Tyrian could barely remember her features the second he looked away. He certainly couldn't remember what color her green eyes were.

"You must be Callows," Kale curtsied the scorpion's way, "I've heard a lot about you. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Tyrian was hoping that finally hearing her voice would give him something to recognize her by, but even that seemed so excessively normal it couldn't possibly stand out anywhere.

"Yes… pleasure…" Tyrian cautiously shook her hand.

"Congratulations," Salem offered, "Not much unnerves my dear Tyrian here. It's usually the other way around."

"As expected, though," Kale nodded, "It is great to finally be welcomed in your home, Queen Salem. I assume this means you finally have a task for me?"

"Yes," Salem nodded, "You passed all my tests with flying colors."

"She gets a task, but I do not?" Tyrian sounded offended.

"Do not overstep your boundaries, Tyrian," Salem warned, "And do not fret. You will have a task as well in a few moments."

"Really!?" Tyrians eyes shone with excitement.

"But first, Miss Leid," Salem held out her hand. In it was a glass vial filed with a black substance.

"What is it?" Kale inquired.

"Humans have proved… unreliable allies in the past. Tyrian is devoted and you owe me your life but others who chose this, chose otherwise once things looked bleak. In order to fill out my new table, I have designed something a bit more under my control to join us. All it needs is a body. From watching the Vytal Festival, I do believe I may have already found a good candidate."

"And me, my queen? What shall I do?" Tyrian asked.

"Learn patience, for one!" Salem scolded. "But since you insist, I want you to find the Winter or Summer Maiden. Fall will be far too on guard after Cinder attacked her years ago, and though I know where Spring is, it would be unwise to attack her without equal firepower."

"Right away my queen!" Tyrian remembered to bow, but otherwise all but ran out of the castle, excited to be at work again.

"And of my task?" Kale asked politely after Tyrian left.

"Right, I do need a bit more time to make sure I have who I want," Salem informed her new subject, "But the second she's vulnerable, we will strike while the iron is hot."

* * *

Weiss had trouble meeting Blake's eyes the next day. For some reason, ever since she read that letter, she just couldn't find a way to be alone with her faunus girlfriend. Even when they weren't on the fairgrounds, someone always seemed to be close by. But she didn't need to speak to know what was on Blake's mind. The rare moments their eyes did meet, Blake wore a certain smile that made it crystal clear. _Oh god, oh god, she's doing it again? Does she just want sex? No, her letter said she wanted me. Specifically_ me. _Because she loves me… and I do love her… do I want this? Oh hell, I can't continue lying to myself… I've wanted this for ages… but always afraid… no more. Tonight, Blake can have me. And she can do whatever she wants…_

"Hey, you okay?" Reaper asked Weiss. The heiress snapped out of her funk to see Neo snapping her petite fingers an inch away from her eye.

"What? Yes! I'm fine…" Weiss squeaked the last bit, to her everlasting embarrassment. She cleared her throat. "Why do you ask?" She spoke, having regained her regal bearings.

"Do… I need to tell you that?" Reaper asked, her eyebrow raised.

"She's mine, Reaper." Blake said quickly.

"What?" Reaper turned her head, having not heard Blake clearly.

"She's fine, Reaper." Blake corrected, a hint of red tinging her own cheeks at long last. _Too soon, Belladonna! Get your head in the game!_

Reaper was about to continue questioning, but they were interrupted by the arena buzzer marking the start of the next match. Reaper and Neo would be on soon, and Weiss quickly guided her team up to the arena. The conversation was successfully and completely forgotten by the ex-criminal pair.

 _That was a close one…_ Blake mentally scolded herself as the team found seats for the match. Pyrrha and Nora were facing two kids from Haven. The golden glint of the warrior's armor immediately captured the attention of silver eyes, and subsequently, the persona buried within their owner.

 _ **Yes… Win, Golden Idol… Win, and we'll meet in the finals. Our rematch is long overdue.**_


	11. Evolution

**Quick thing, my phone broke. So no Instagram posts until it's fixed. I can still see, like, and comment on your pics off my laptop, though, so i'll still be seeing your stuff. And now, story time!**

* * *

The two ex-criminals made their way onto the field, the chatter of the crowd in the background. The students were excited. There were some in the crowd that Reaper didn't know were apart of rehabilitation programs from the other schools, and they were cheering even harder than others. While part of the tournament, this had also turned into a bit of a political move. It was one of the few times Reaper and Neo genuinely felt that all eyes were on them.

Making their way towards them were their opponents for the match. "Hey there, Reaper! Got it that time!"

"Sun, are you always going to say that?" Reaper scolded, although a smile was on her face.

"It's weird, but it's how I remember." Sun explained. Next to him was his team's titan, Sage.

"Hello, little one. I'm Sage. What's your name?" He asked, extending his hand. Neo shook it, but obviously didn't answer herself.

"Her name's Neo." Reaper answered for her.

"A quiet one?" Sage asked.

"You could say that." Reaper answered for her lover again.

While the friends were speaking, the arena randomized around them. Ocean, plains, desert, and stormy mountains raised around them. Sage stared down Neo, intent on attacking the one who he (falsely) assumed would be easy. Neo's size was less than intimidating, after all. Reaper knew Neo could handle the tank, and decided to play along and let them be. She knew from experience that she could beat Sun. Judging by the fear on his face, he remembered as well.

The buzzer sounded, and Sage immediately smashed his blade down onto Neo, the image shattering instead of falling. Sun tried to warn his partner, taking his eyes off Reaper. He quickly regretted this when he was launched across the arena before he could speak a word. Neo appeared from behind Sage and grappled him, throwing him into the plains. Sun stood at the base of the mountain, and saw rose petals flying towards him. He panicked right up the side of the cliff.

Sage landed on his feet and looked up in time to raise his blade, blocking Neo's next kick. He swung up, and Neo went with it, flipping and landing naturally. Her acrobatic skill was something he failed to anticipate, and he realized this would be much more difficult than he assumed. He would swing, and she would dodge, and never attack back. She was taunting him, and he was playing right into her hands.

Sun made it to the top, and saw rose petals in hot pursuit. He finally pulled out his staff and swung at them, feeling contact as he blocked the scythe Reaper swung as she exited her semblance. Sun just wanted to stay upright, blocking attacks left and right. But unlike Neo, Sun wasn't playing defensive. He was backed into a corner. Reaper saw an opportunity to break his guard and swung up, expecting him to swing his staff down to block. She was right, and his staff bounced right back up… right as the environment shot lightning down, and his staff made an effective lightning rod.

Sage kept swinging, his attacks getting less and less focused. Neo released her whip suddenly, wrapping it around his blade as it swung out of control behind him. With a flick of her wrist, she added to its momentum and sent it flying from him hands. What followed was a brutal barrage from the silver bladed wire that Sage couldn't have possible avoided. Neo spotted Sun coming into the center of the field, flying off the mountaintop where Reaper had struck him down. A small fire was coming off his hair like a candle.

The weary monkey looked up and saw Sage in trouble. With a flash of inspiration, he jumped forward with his staff in hand, catching the whip. It wrapped around his staff tight and he held it there. Neo was caught off guard, and ended up locked with Sun's weapon. "Sage, switch out!" Sun yelled. "Don't let Reaper's build fool you! That girl's a powerhouse!"

Sage nodded and ran to his weapon, picking it up as he saw Reaper walking across the field. He smiled and ran into the desert, hiding around the corner of the large plateau. The scythe master smirked and followed him around the corner. Neo and Sun were in a struggle, trying to pry each other's weapon away without losing their own. Sun soon realized he was getting nowhere… he had more leverage, but Neo's whip had flexibility. He eventually decided to detach the halves of his staff, letting them fall into nun chuck mode while the whip slipped right off the divide.

Reaper rounded the corner of the desert biome and was nearly taken by surprise. She barely managed to avoid Sage's weapon with a duck. She brought Brutal Thorn back up and was blocked. She frowned. The large man wasn't necessarily fast, but he maneuvered his great sword with enough finesse to make up for it. Reaper decided the best course of action may be to ditch her weapon. Her attempt at hand-to-hand was met with Sage's out fists, and the resulting melee showed Reaper still had a thing or two to learn about fighting without a weapon. With the inhibitor belt, a good chunk of her available aura was taken by Sage.

She managed to push herself off, but was caught in a decision to pick up Brutal Thorn or continue with her fists. She had a half-second to decided, and her instincts were too slow. She rocketed her hand out for her scythe, leaving her gut exposed to Sage's sword, which the man had already retrieved. She was spun around him, the blade digging in and draining her aura, until she slipped off it and was thrown across the arena, crashing into the marooned ship in the ocean biome. Neo saw Reaper fly across the arena, and frowned. She found opening enough in her combat with Sun to check the screen. _16 points left… Wait… what?_

Abruptly, bits of the ship were sent all over the arena as the interior exploded. The center of the flames stood the scythe master, her eyes burning like hot coals.

Weiss shot up in her seat. "She's never had access to Yang's fire!"

"What the hell?" Blake agreed.

And to top it all off, the outburst of energy had overloaded the inhibitor belt. On the screen, Reaper's aura began rising, settling at a few points above half. The flaming figure smiled. Ember was in control, had unlocked Yang's fire, and had all the strength Sage had been giving the ex-criminal the whole match. The outcome was obvious to Sage. "I'm fuc-"

Ember burst forward in a flurry of petals. As she flew past Brutal Thorn, she split into three separate trails, one of them picking up the scythe as it blew past. They spiraled back into each other in the image of a fiery drill that exploded into Sage before he could finish his statement. Ember slid flat-footed across the desert sand for another hundred feet while Sage trailed behind her. Still in momentum, Ember turned and jumped, planting Brutal Thorn's handle into the ground. Swinging around on it at high speed, she let go and launched herself back off it and in the other direction. Flying towards Sage once again, she reached out and grabbed his face. Bringing it down, she planted her feet and ran, dragging him along the cracking earth face-first.

His aura died below 15 points and Ember slowed down and let go, turning to face Sun. The monkey faunus didn't like his chances. Before he could try to do anything to salvage this match, Ember split into three petal clouds again, stretching out and circling her opponent. They spiraled in, trapping Sun. By the time they met in the middle, Sun had accepted his fate. His painful, painful fate. He was grabbed by the throat and tossed into the air.

On the ground, Neo cartwheeled over Brutal Thorn, picking it up in the process. This led into a back flip into Ember's waiting arms, who then threw her pint-sized lover up to meet Sun. Neo crashed into Sun and spun around him, getting above him. With the barrel pointed down, Neo fired Brutal Thorn. The kick was a lot more than she ever anticipated, and it served her purpose. Sun fell back to the arena floor like a comet, causing a crater as his aura broke. The victory buzzer sounded. The duo had won.

Ember stretched her arms out and caught Neo bridal style. Neo had dropped Brutal Thorn during the fall so her arms could drape her arms around Ember's neck appropriately. Red eyes closed, and the pairs' lips came together. The two barely noticed the scythe spiking into the ground behind them. When the broke apart, silver eyes opened. They both smiled brightly as the crowd cheered.

* * *

Reaper and Neo were taking a much-deserved rest on a park bench at the campgrounds. They had been congratulated by several students already, some of them revealing themselves to be Rehabilitative Custody students at a couple of the other schools. Now the ex-criminal pair were almost asleep when they had another visitor. Taiyang approached his daughter and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, kiddo."

Silver eyes blinked groggily. "Hey, dad…"

"Tired, eh? Yang was just as wiped out the first time she used her fire." Taiyang explained. "I thought you didn't have that, though?"

Reaper stretched, waking up Neo by accident in the process. "So did we. Maybe the belt had something to do with it. Trying to hold back a power that wants nothing other to exist can't be easy. The extra push to break through the handicap could be what unlocked the fire."

"Speaking of." The familiar sound of Ozpin appeared from behind Taiyang. "Reaper, there is something we need to discuss."

Reaper had anticipated this. "Look, I didn't break it on purpose! It just broke, and I was too into the fight to worry about it."

"We understand." A gruff voice spoke behind her. Reaper turned and laid eyes on Ironwood.

"You…" Reaper said, getting ticked by just the sight of him.

"I'm not here to start any conflict. I'm here to accompany my school to the Vytal Festival, that is all." Ironwood explained.

'What about the tournament?' Neo signed.

"Right. The council agrees that the belt malfunction was an accident. Despite the argument that it was the turning point of the match, they have agreed to let WBRN progress." Ozpin stated.

"Under one condition." Ironwood clarified.

Reaper's face fell. "It has to be Neo. I can't continue. Not without the belt." Reaper correctly guessed.

"I am sorry. I tried my best, I know what this meant to you. But you simply have too much power." Ozpin explained apologetically. "Especially now that you seem to have unlocked Yang's full semblance. If we could fix the belt or get a new one in time… unfortunately the finals are just around the corner. I'm truly sorry, Reaper."

Neo took Reaper's face and turned it so the scythe master was facing her. 'Don't worry!' Neo signed, a huge smile on her face. 'I can handle one person at a time! I've got this!'

"Neo, it's not about winning. It's barely even about the tournament." Reaper explained. "It's about the freedom. Being able to fight. Maybe you didn't need it as much as we did, but with our… situation, combat is therapeutic. I suppose we should be happy we got what we got, but… if nothing else, there was someone we really wanted to face in the finals."

Neo frowned. _Again, why is this stuff so hard!_

"But…" Reaper found her smile. "That's no reason to be mopey. I go dealt a bad hand, it happens. All I should worry about now is cheering you on!"

Neo blinked, caught off guard that Reaper had fixed herself this time. It didn't last long, and she was soon smiling too. 'So what's my prize if I win?'

"Besides the trophy?" Reaper asked, and thought for a moment. "Well… there is that thing you always wanted to use… that thing I didn't let you use on me?"

"Hey now!" Taiyang shouted. "I don't need to know that stuff!"

Ozpin and Ironwood seemed to vanish at this turn in the conversation. Neo only smiled. _I'm definitely going to win now._

"So, when are we taking off?" Taiyang asked.

"What are you talking about?" Reaper asked.

"Blake messaged me a few days ago. Apparently, you two are hanging out with me tonight, in Vale." He informed them. "You didn't know?"

Neo and Reaper flashed each other mischievous grins. "We do now. Let's go! I could use some food that's not cafeteria food."

* * *

Weiss made her way to the dorm, her nerves rising. The closer she got, the more she wanted to abandon this. But she wouldn't let herself. She needed to go through with this just as much as Blake. She came up to the junction where WBRN and JNPR dorm sat at either end. Weiss nervously entered JNPR dorm, where Pyrrha was waiting to let her in. Pyrrha's face looked as red as Weiss's felt. "The door will lock behind you." Pyrrha informed her. Not knowing what else to say in the situation, the golden fighter simply left.

Weiss let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and changed. Feeling rather exposed, but trusting that Blake had figured everything out, Weiss exited and crossed the hall. The WBRN door was open just enough to keep it from locking, but not revealing what wait inside for the heiress. She pushed it open and stepped inside. The room had been re-arranged for this night. There was only one bed tonight, and it sat in the center of the room. It was surrounded by candles, and perched on the bed was Blake wearing only her yukata. The fact that it was slightly open in the front made it obvious.

Weiss was about to speak up, but remembered the letter said 'no words'. She swallowed and stepped forward. Blake giggled, finding the nervous wreck that was her girlfriend rather cute. _But now it's time for me to take control._ A curled finger beckoned Weiss onto the bed. The heiress complied, almost without realizing just how much control she was handing Blake. When Weiss finally crawled fully onto the bed, the couples' lips met softly. It charged the both of them with the energies that had been pent up all day. Nervousness was forgotten. They were both ready.

Weiss slipped the Yukata off, trailing a hand down her lover's body until it draped on the prosthesis. Similarly, Blake slipped Weiss's nightgown over her head and rested her hand on the heiress's scar. The last soft kiss of the night was placed on the red mark. After that, both girls were acutely aware that they were fully exposed to each other. And somehow, it felt right. Weiss's hand started to come up towards Blake's center, but the faunus quickly snatched the hand away and threw the heiress onto her back. Weiss had given _her_ full control, and she intended to make the most of it. She was going to cram as many fantasies as possible into this one amazing night.

By the time they were done, it was clear to both girls that Blake was right all along. It was a primal, carnal act, but it somehow strengthened the existing feelings they had for each other. And it was quite possibly the most amazing thing either of them had ever felt.

* * *

 **Here, i feel the need to thank somebody, and anybody who has enjoyed this little monochrome sub-arc should thank him as well, as it wouldn't have happened without his review. Drake187 said 'I've never been much of a monochrome man, but you are starting to convince me'. Truth is, i wasn't really planning on expanding and progressing Weiss and Blake's relationship in the BRAU, but his review got me thinking... what if i did? What could i do with them as they exist in my story? A few other things i wanted to do got pushed aside, but i'm grateful. it was fun to write. and i hope you all enjoyed the little break from Reaper and Neo.**


	12. Progression

The light penetrating the drapes woke Blake late in the morning. She looked around the dorm, seeing a few things to clean up. For starters, the candles had all burned out, leaving dried wax everywhere. A few other choice items were off to the side of the bed, where they were eventually thrown after use. Amber eyes eventually settled on the pale figure laid out in her arms. Their blanket had been tossed about in the night, and now the fabric failed to cover much. Not that Blake minded. At all.

Even Weiss was unconcerned as she started to rouse as well. After what they had experienced the night before, it seemed natural. As Weiss would perfectly describe it, "That was more amazing than I could ever imagine…"

"For me too." Blake replied, smiling.

"Really?" The heiress giggled. "With all you read?"

"It doesn't prepare you for the real thing, apparently." Blake answered.

"Wait… So you…?" Weiss was startled.

Blake suddenly drew a suspicious look on her face. "Why is that such a surprise?"

"I didn't-! I mean-! I- I just-!" Weiss stumbled. She caught her breath and responded slowly. "With everything you say, and how well you… took control last night. I just assumed you had, um, experience."

Blake huffed and smiled. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"You… enjoyed it too, right?" Weiss asked nervously.

"Of course." Blake nuzzled her girlfriend's neck. "You were wonderful."

Weiss smiled.

"I was surprised when you left me that letter, but I'm glad things worked out."

Weiss's smile broke and looked up at Blake slowly. "What are you talking about?"

"The letter?" Blake repeated. "The one you left for me? The reason we're both here?"

Weiss sat up. " _You_ left _me_ a letter, silly… right?"

Blake's eyebrow raised. The faunus reached to the bookshelf and pulled out her favorite title, slipping a piece of paper from between the pages. She handed it to Weiss, who fluffed it out and read.

 _Dear love,_

 _I hope you don't find me communicating this in writing to be some form of cop-out. It's hard for me to think about these things, let alone speak on them candidly. I needed to gather my thoughts, and this was the best way how…_

 _I want you, Blake. I can't deny it to myself much longer… But I'm afraid it's going to change our relationship… I know it's silly. Plenty of couples make love. I've even heard of relationship's where people break up, and neither of them realized it started with a lack of bedroom activities. But it doesn't stop me being scared, which brings me to the purpose of this letter._

 _Like I said, I want you. But if I have too much of a say, I'm going to back out at the last minute. I know your literature, and I have a proposal. I'll make sure Reaper and Neo can't walk in on us tomorrow night. Tomorrow night, I will walk through that door in nothing but my nightgown. What happens next is up to you… to avoid me chickening out, I'm giving you full control._

 _I want you Blake. And I know you want me… I'm not blind. Tomorrow night, you can have me._

 _Always yours, Wiess_

 _PS, Please stay quiet until then. Reaper and Neo's incessant teasing won't help my confidence._

Weiss reached the end, and her eyes widened. The letter sounded like her, even had her handwriting… but she would remember writing something like this! Not to mention Blake's letter… Weiss ran to her dresser and fished out the crumpled paper, untangling it and handing it to Blake. "Read." Weiss told her.

Blake took the paper and read it over. Twice. "Weiss, I didn't write this…"

"But it _is_ your handwriting!" Weiss shouted.

"Well, so was yours… the one you say you didn't write… Weiss, if we're both telling the truth, who the hell wrote these letters?"

* * *

Reaper was waiting in the library with Neopolitan and Nora. The pink thunder woman had challenged Ember to an arm wrestling contest and, after a bit of shoulder-stabbing, the challenged was out front and eager to begin. Three destroyed tables and a senselessly furious librarian was the scene Weiss walked in on, on her quest for Reaper. It didn't take long for the heiress to put two and two together and realize who likely pulled the stunt with the letters. It wouldn't surprise her to learn that either Reaper or Neo were excellent forgers.

Ember spotted white from the corner of her eye, and let Nora win the next one. She then shifted right back into the recesses of her and Reaper's brain. "Thanks for the assist…" Reaper scolded.

 _ **No probs, boss!**_

 _Groan_

"Reaper! Neo! And you too, I bet!" Weiss shouted, pointing at each of them in turn. Blake caught up with Weiss about now, obviously quickly dressed.

"You at least have fun?" Nora asked, blunt as always.

"Quiet." Weiss scolded, shutting the lot of them up. She raised her hand and brought it down. Reaper's aura rippled where Weiss slapped her. " _That_ is for tricking Blake and I."

Weiss stomped away, and Blake sat across from Reaper at her departure. "Something happen?"

Blake smiled. "Weiss is just being Weiss. While she'll never admit it to your face, Weiss does appreciate the sentiment behind what you did. Even if she doesn't agree with the principle of it."

"So… everything worked out?" Reaper asked, suddenly unsure.

Blake's smile grew larger. "We talked it out before finding you. She's pissed, but that doesn't mean she's not glad it happened. It might seem weird in terms of a relationship, but it was just what we needed. Get over our nerves, grow closer… maybe have a bit of fun too. Though I have to ask… how did you even pull this off? Even Pyrrha was a part of it, according to Weiss?"

"Pyrrha might have thought you really did talk her into it." Nora admitted.

"Right after our talk a few days ago, I had this idea and went straight to Nora." Reaper explained. "She told me she could get Ren involved, to get your scroll long enough to send a message. Bet you never even noticed you didn't have it in our first match?"

Blake pulled out her scroll and perused the old messages. One to Taiyang and one to Pyrrha she never actually sent.

"Between me and Neo, we nailed your personalities for the letters," Reaper continued, "but it wasn't us who did the handwriting."

"Then who? Nora?" Blake asked.

"Jaune, actually." Nora replied. "It seems he's really good at it. And has used these skills to- um, to…. Ummm… do nothing… obviously…" Nora caught herself. WBRN still didn't know Jaune never properly applied to Beacon, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Speaking of the boy blunder," Reaper interrupted, "We were thinking about doing something similar for him and Pyrrha. It's been three years, and they still aren't together. It's honestly a little annoying."

'Would you be willing to help?' Neo signed.

"Of course! Consider it repayment." Blake smiled.

The four mingled a while longer before Blake decided she should go find her heiress, and left. The librarian managed to kick the destructive trio out soon after, with the aid of Glynda Goodwitch. On the way out, Nora asked, "So when's Neo's match?"

"Soon." Reaper answered. "And she's going to kick ass!"

"Not against Pyrrha!" Nora replied.

"Wanna bet?" the scythe master proposed.

 _ **Please don't**_

"Oh yeah!" Nora agreed.

"So if I win…" Reaper thought. "You have to be Ember's slave for a day!"

 _ **I agree to nothi- wait what?**_

"And if I win…" Nora spent a good few minutes trying to think up a good punishment. It would have been easy against Ruby, but Nora found herself realizing there wasn't much Reaper wasn't likely to do on a _dare_ , let alone a lost bet. She didn't want to re-use 'be my slave' either, because Ember might object for one, and it just wasn't creative to steal the other guys bet. Then an idea. "You have to let me use Brutal Thorn once in Goodwitch's class."

Reaper gasped dramatically. "You fiend…"

Nora smiled triumphantly. If there was one thing Reaper cherished… well, it was Neo, but Nora knew better than to touch those betting possibilities with a ten-foot pole. But her weapons were definitely up there. "Speaking of weapons, did you ever name Neo's?"

Reaper huffed and crossed her arms, squinting Neo's direction. "No, but only because _she_ won't let me name it 'Whip Cream'!"

"Whip Cream is perfect!" Nora shouted in disbelief.

"I know! See, Neo! She gets it." Reaper pointed at Nora, still staring down her petite lover.

Neo only glared back and signed. 'I'd like my weapon to be named something a bit more serious than _that_.'

"I still think 'Whip Cream'." Nora agreed.

Neo rolled her eyes. _Now she's stuck on it too. My new weapon will_ never _get a serious name!_

Just then Neo's scroll buzzed. It was time for her to get to the arena. Reaper smiled and gave her a thumb's up before walking with her to the arena.

* * *

Reaper settled next to Weiss and Blake to watch the fight.

"It's unfortunate you couldn't continue." Weiss remarked, all her venom from earlier gone.

 _ **Blake must be right**_

"Yeah, but I'm not really in a position to contend the rules. I wonder how long this is supposed to last before I'm free?" Reaper speculated.

"Perhaps graduation? If it was before then, I think Ozpin would make an effort to tell you." Weiss theorized.

"Ozpin had a lot more power over the terms back when he was crafting it for Reaper's sake." Blake reminded them. "Now that the various councils of the Kingdoms have political and financial interest invested in the project, a lot of the rule-making is likely out of his hands. He may not even know himself, not yet."

Weiss nodded, conceding the point. They turned their attention to the fight, where Neo had stepped onto stage facing an opponent Reaper didn't recognize.

 _ **Looks like Nora is safe for now.**_

"Well, that sounded devious." Reaper replied. "And I thought you wanted nothing to do with it?"

 _ **I thought you told her she would be**_ **my** _ **slave specifically. I just didn't want you to push your punishment on me.**_

"It would still be me, technically."

 _ **And technically, you can kiss my non-existent ass**_

"So, my ass is all mine?"

"I think Neo would contest to that, actually." Blake interrupted.

Reaper face-palmed. "Ember…"

 _ **What? I didn't know you were speaking aloud, I swear.**_

"We share a mind. I don't need to deduce if you're lying. I just know."

 _ **Oh, can it.**_

Reaper smirked. "I love you too."

 _ **Oye vey…**_

"At this point, I would _kill_ to be able to hear Ember…" Weis pouted. "Only hearing one side of these is incredibly confusing."

Reaper felt her scroll buzz. She pulled it out, and saw someone trying to call her. She contemplated stepping out of the stadium to take it, but the fact that Neo was fighting stopped her. Everything else could wait.

* * *

Detective Black frowned. He had tried all of the WBRN girls, but their phones were either off, or they simply didn't answer. _They might be in a fight._ He reminded himself. _It is the Vytal Festival._ He frowned and looked back up at his surroundings. He had been called out here to respond to allegations of a riot in one of the cell blocks, and didn't like what he found…

When he had arrived, the riot was still in full swing. This didn't make him happy at the dispatcher. "'Allegations'? There's fresh blood on the floor." He stated, staring down at the chaos as riot control stepped in. From the control room, he was able to question the security chief. "How did this happen?"

"I'm going through tapes right now, trying to figure this out." The man replied. "We try to keep tabs on all of the inter-prison beefs. They usually just lead to scuffles in the mess hall, but it's almost like all of them exploded at once."

"Wait, rewind!" Black shouted, staring at the screen. One of the attendees of the cell block currently being tear gassed had shoulder length orange bangs with the rest of his head cut short. Even in prison, he managed to maintain his fake eyelashes as well. In the still on screen, he was talking with a larger inmate. "Who's he?"

"You mean Torchwick?" The security chief asked.

"No, the one Torchwick is talking to."

"Oh, that's a nobody. We have a bit of a file, but it's just because he had a small beef with another guy."

Black kept watching the videos, keeping an eye out for the orange hair. He was starting to notice a pattern. "And him?"

"A leader of an inter-prison gang. They're at war with the gang the other guy led, the one Torchwick was talking to a few recordings ago."

"And who does he have a beef with?" Black pointed at another monitor that showed Torchwick in hushed conversation with yet another inmate.

"Trev, from that one recording on this screen." The security chief replied, pointing at a different monitor.

"He's instigating. He's spoken with everyone who had a bone to pick with someone, all in the past _week_. He got them all on edge. All he needed was a spark…" Black watched the recording from that day.

On screen, Torchwick shouted something. All of the inmates froze, dropped what they were doing, and turned to face each other. With only a moment's hesitation to allow for several growls, all hell broke loose. Torchwick looked up to the camera and winked, before seemingly vanishing in the bedlam.

"Which cell is his?" Black asked. By the time they had finished with the tapes, all the inmates were subdued and rounded up. All except for the lower bunk inhabitant of the cell Detective Black now stood in front of. "This wasn't a riot." Black concluded. "It was a distraction. It was an escape."

The security chief called out an APB, attempted to lock down the entire prison as fast as possible. "He may not have made it all the way out yet." Was his hope.

Black wasn't as foolish, and thought over Torchwick's case. _Where would he go, what would he do?_

He recalled then that Torchwick had connections to two people he met on a more recent and very high-profile case. Reaper and Neo. If he recalled how Reaper and Torchwick's professional relationship ended correctly, he knew the criminal wouldn't be happy. That's when he tried to call the four girls of the team the rehabilitating criminals resided on, and got nothing. He would have to try again later. He was going to have to warn them. The security chief found him again to confirm what he already feared. Torchwick was long gone. The crime lord was free, and Black didn't doubt for a second he would be angry at those who betrayed him.


	13. The Final Round

Neo exited the locker room, her guard up. For what, you may ask?

 _Whoosh_

"Congrats!"

For that. Reaper charged at high speeds onto her lover, grabbing her lover and spinning her. "You did great!"

By preparing, Neo was able to avoid getting the wind knocked out of her. She silently giggled and nodded her appreciation. The others caught up as Reaper set Neo down. Neo won, of course. _If that was the caliber of the final opponents, I got this in the bag. Monkey boy was harder than that guy._ The girls left to get some victory food. Halfway through the campgrounds, Blake checked her scroll. "Hey, does anybody else have a missed call from Detective Black?"

The girls all stopped and looked at Blake curiously. Weiss pulled her scroll out first. "I do actually."

"I did get a call in the stadium." Reaper told them. "But I never saved Black's number."

"Why not?" Weiss asked.

"I didn't think I'd need it." Reaper answered.

By this time, Neo had pulled out her scroll and turned it on, seeing a missed call and a message from 'Det. B.' 'Have someone call when you get this, please.'

"I'll put him on speaker." Weiss announced. She hit the necessary buttons.

"Hello, Weiss?" Detective Black's voice answered after a single ring.

"Detective, you tried to call us? You're on speaker." Weiss informed him.

"Hey." Reaper greeted.

"Hello detective." Blake followed.

"And Neo waves." Reaper informed.

"Good, I have you all. This is important. I don't think it will be problematic while you're still on Beacon grounds, but once break starts…"

The girls were starting to worry now. "Black, what's going on?" Reaper demanded.

"It's Torchwick. He's escaped."

Silence. Deafening silence from the girls.

"Hello?" Black asked after receiving no response.

"How?" Reaper commanded. Torchwick being free was more than enough to plunge her into a red-eye kind of mood. She even started to heat up the air around her.

"A staged prison riot. We don't know how he slipped through the rest of security. The prison's resources had to be allocated to the cell block." Black told them.

"For a riot?" Blake questioned.

"It was a big one. It looked like the whole prison was at war." Black continued. "I know you girls are going to want to investigate, but first thing's first. Calm down, Reaper."

"Don't tell _me_ to **calm do** wn!" Reaper shouted, her eyes fluctuating and sparks coming off her hair. While it was nice to have definitive confirmation Reaper kept Yang's fire, Weiss found herself uncomfortably close to ground zero of the coming explosion. "He was _supp_ _ **osed**_ **to be gone** fore **ver!** "

"Reaper! You can't do anything just now!" Black shouted just as loud, scratching Weiss's speakers.

The heat died a little, though small heat waves could still be seen coming off her shoulders. Her eyes settled on silver and with a deep breath, she responded calmly. "You won't stop us from investigating."

"I know. So rather than it be illegal, I'm in the middle of working a deal with Ozpin and the Council." Black informed them. "So just please, stay on Beacon grounds and when you go on break, we'll discuss everything else."

Weiss, Blake and Neo all knew what they wanted to do. Thing is, they couldn't stop Reaper if she decided to disagree. Amazingly, and to the comfort of everyone involved, she managed a sharp, "Fine.", before turning on her heel and storming away.

"I'll talk to you when I have news." Black told them.

Neo caught up with Reaper while Weiss ended the call. She tried to catch her by the wrist, but quickly withdrew when she anticipated what would happen next. Weiss and Blake caught up as Reaper put her fist through a brick wall. "God- _ **Damn it!**_ " She shouted, cracking the wall with her fist and the ground around her with a burst of fire.

"Reaper, are you okay?" Weiss asked for Neo, as the cloaked woman had yet to turn around.

" **No, she's not. I haven't** _ **had**_ **to take over in a while.** " Ember replied. " **She was about to ape shit on the school.** "

"What's wrong?" Blake asked.

'She's not really afraid of Roman, is she?" Neo signed, concern on her face.

" **It's not really about Roman himself.** " Ember explained. " **It's about that part of our life. Don't get us wrong, Neo, we're grateful you came out of that, and we wouldn't trade you for the world. Money's nice, too. But just because we got good things out of it, just because we don't regret it, doesn't mean it was a good life.** "

"A life you keep trying to leave behind you." Blake deduced. She had experience in leaving old lives.

" **Mimic was an acceptable hiccup. But this was supposed to be over. We were supposed to be able to move on.** " Ember frowned. " **Makes us seriously consider burying it for good.** " She concluded cryptically. The implications sent a shiver down Weiss's spine.

* * *

Night fell the next day. Neo had won her second finals match, and it was time for the final round. Neo had the choice of resting up or practicing. She chose to rest. The ultimate benefit of making it to the final was she knew who she was facing. And that person was none other than Pyrrha Nikos. Little Neopolitan lounged out on a bench, laying sideways with her head on Reaper's lap while the cloaked girl stroked Neo's hair. From there, Neo could still tell her lover was tense, and twisted around so she was facing up. 'What's wrong?'

Reaper sighed. "I don't know how you can be so calm… if it were me, I'm not sure I could focus on the matches right now. Torchwick is out there, plotting his first moves against us, and we have to wait until break to do anything…"

'Because I know we're going to beat him.' Neo signed, her face confident. 'We've faced way worse than him since we all parted ways. Some ruthless killers, bloodthirsty psychopaths… We'll be fine.'

"I suppose you're right." Reaper conceded, finding her smile. "All right, I'll try. I won't worry about it. Instead, I'll worry about you winning your match!" The buzzer sounded form the stadium. "Speak of the devil… Shall I walk you to your arena?"

Two minutes later, Neo was standing in front of her designated locker inside Amity Colosseum. She reached out for the umbrella, but paused. She may have more experience fighting people over monsters, but Pyrrha was a world renown tournament fighter. This battle was going to be difficult no doubt. Neo needed some kind of upper hand.

 _Or maybe… I can deprive hers…_

Neo looked over her outfit carefully, and began by removing her necklaces.

Pyrrha strode out onto the field a few minutes later, confident. She had seen Neo fight, and had watched her with her whip. She had a plan… a plan that soon fell apart. The entire stadium fell silent, watching Neo stride onto stage. She had no weapon, none of her usual jewelry, and no boots.

"No metal…" Reaper noted.

"Her boots?" Weiss asked.

"The buttons." The scythe master clarified.

"And what about her pants?" Blake wondered next. "Won't they be a problem?"

"Have you seen how low cut they are? No zipper, and the button's plastic."

Neo smirked at Pyrrha's dumbfounded face. The golden fighter wasn't expecting this.

In the stands, Reaper smiled.

 _ **Clever girl.**_

 _Kick her ass._

The buzzer sounded, and Pyrrha was surprised yet again by Neo's opening move. The normally defensive ex-criminal had begun by rushing her opponent. Pyrrha raised her shield and Neo ran up it, her bare feet vibrating the metal against Pyrrha's arm. The golden fighter looked up and saw nothing, but she felt it. Her aura told her Neo was behind her, and she turned it time to see Neo's elbow strike her cheek. Pyrrha stumbled, and Neo used an open-palm strike on her gut to push her father. This was followed up by a leaping spinning kick.

By now, the shock at the strange turn of events had worn off on the champion. She swung Milo, only to have Neo hand spring over the blade. Without missing a beat, Pyrrha spun and swung Akouo. While on her hands, upside down, Neo's gut was perfectly exposed. The attack had Neo suspended in the air momentarily. It was enough of a moment for Pyrrha to swing Milo back down, hitting Neo a second time. The small woman hit the ground hard and rolled across the arena floor.

Standing, she checked the screen. Pyrrha still had more aura than her, which made sense. Pyrrha still had her weapon. Neo opted out of the added attack power, not trusting her own weapon against the magnetic woman.

Neo smirked. She would just have to hit her more. She ran towards Pyrrha again. This time Pyrrha was ready, and threw her shield. This didn't faze Neo however, who was used to thinking on the fly. She jumped and twisted into the air, and managed to grab the shield as it passed. The small girl's feet planted back on the ground, her momentum spinning her, and she let go of the shield. It flew towards its owner, who herself managed to catch it safely with both hands.

Neo didn't think the woman would be caught off guard by her own equipment. Neo expected her to be caught off guard by the small woman herself. Pyrrha didn't know what to expect from the woman since she didn't take her weapon into battle. Neo finished her run to Pyrrha and immediately flipped backward, kicking Pyrrha's own shield into her face.

 _Punch the gut. She drops the shield. Step back and out of its downward path. Return with an uppercut to her jaw. Spin and kick her gut. Spin again and jump to kick her face._ Neo executed the combo perfectly, and it forced Pyrrha to a decision.

If Neo was going to risk hand-to-hand, perhaps she should as well. The ex-criminal was too agile since ditching her weapon to be easily hit by Pyrrha's. Neo was slightly taken aback when her fist hit Pyrrha's waiting hand. The golden fight had dropped Milo to catch it. Pyrrha used this to throw Neo's fist and throw her off balance, and followed up with a combo of her own.

 _Right fist to her face. Left fist to her gut. Left fist uppercut. Grab her collar. Throw her across the arena._

The combo worked until the throw. Neo's self-made fighting style made her perfectly comfortable flipping through the air. Her feet held firm ground in an instant. She dashed under Pyrrha's still outstretched arm and kneed her in the gut. She grappled and swung around Pyrrha, climbing up the golden fighter and wrapping a leg around her throat. Pyrrha felt it tighten, and thickened her aura to avoid choking. It also ate away at it, and she could see her aura falling on the large screen.

The golden fighter wasn't done, though. She jumped up and fell back, smashing Neo onto the hard ground. The WBRN girl let go and rolled across the ground, and the JNPR girl rolled forward and onto her feet. Neo stood slowly, and then charged and leaped, swinging her leg around. The golden fighter easily caught her by the leg and tossed her once more, with more success.

Neo landed on her feet, but much further away than before. By the time she was standing, Pyrrha was on her once again. Her knee came hard into Neo's face, and knocked the little woman over. The motion of the attack carried Pyrrha into the air, and she brought her foot down on Neo's chest and launched higher into the air. When she came back down, her fist was aimed at Neo's head.

Neo managed to move out of the way just in time, and the attack cracked the arena floor instead. Pyrrha expected the dodge this time, and Neo _didn't_ expect Pyrrha to spring back up and punch her with enough force to launch her several feet. Neo hit the ground and rolled, a little bit more than Pyrrha expected. By the time Neo was on her feet once again, she was standing an inch away from the arena's edge.

Neo looked at the screen. Even though they were both fighting hand-to-hand now, Pyrrha still hit harder. Neo had significantly less aura than her opponent. _I won't last another few hits… but maybe…_ Neo hid a smile, staring down Pyrrha with a cold glare. _Tournament rules… just maybe… it's my last chance to win._

Neo hoped she didn't look too prepared already and slumped over, feigning exhaustion. Pyrrha smirked and ran across the arena, approaching Neo at speed. She took the bait. When Pyrrha got to Neo, she threw her punch, and immediately regretted her haste. She was so sure this would be the last strike, she had forgotten all about her opponent's semblance. The Neo she punched shattered, and the actual Neo was coming down from on high at her back.

Pyrrha couldn't even turn her head before surprisingly powerful, petit legs wrapped around her chest and she was swung around. Pyrrha was now facing the center of the arena, her back arched backwards off the edge with Neo hanging off it. All Neo needed to do was use her abs to pull her legs in, and Pyrrha along with them.

 _BZZZZZZT!_

"Ladies and gentleman! Pyrrha Nikos _loses_ by elimination via ring out!"

The crowd was in stunned silence. Pyrrha was a sure bet to win. Neo was hanging off the edge of the stage by one hand, which she barely managed to grasp before going down with Pyrrha. She locked eyes with Reaper from here, who was the first to start clapping, making Neo smile. The crowd slowly started to follow suit. By the time Neo clambered back onto the stage, the entire arena crowd was in an uproar of applause. One clapping she started hearing clearer than the rest took her by surprise. The arena descended back into its original form, bringing Neo level with Pyrrha.

"Congratulations!" Pyrrha shouted. "I haven't had a fight so fun in a long while."

Neo smiled and nodded.

"Getting rid of all your metal was a good trick. It's why I don't usually advertise my semblance." Pyrrha noted. "Though, perhaps this is a good thing. Maybe now I can start being Pyrrha, huntress, and not Pyrrha, grand champion."

'Just be Pyrrha.' Neo signed. 'No one can ever decide your fate for you.'

"Perhaps you are right." Pyrrha nodded.

The crowed was hushed as professor Ozpin stepped out onto stage. In his hands was a large platinum trophy, freshly embroidered. _41_ _st_ _bi-annual Vytal Festival Tournament Victor: Neopolitan: Team WBRN: Beacon Acedemy._ "This is truly more momentous than you know. Just a few months ago, you were a vicious criminal. Now, not only are you turning a new leaf, but you have proven your value as an honorable warrior. I'm am proud to be handing this trophy to not only a student of mine, but a student of mine under my Rehabilitation Program. You set hope, and a shining example, for others in similar situations across the kingdoms. I am honored to present to you the 41st biannual Vytal Festival Tournament Trophy, Miss Neopolitan."

The crowd cheered once again, and the truth hit Neo like a ton of bricks. She used to hide in shadows… now she was literally in the spotlight, being honored by dozens of people. And a great many of them genuinely respected her, believed she deserved this, despite her past. _Maybe there's something to this whole Huntress business I haven't been seeing… Maybe Reaper really is on to something._ The girl smiled. _I'm beyond glad she asked me to stay._

* * *

It was time. The festival was over, school was out, and it was time for the students to go home for a few months off. For Reaper and Neo, this technically meant a change-of-custody, but that custody was Reaper's father, so 'home' was still very applicable. The girls of WBRN smiled and waved their goodbyes, knowing it may only be temporary anyways. There were still things to be taken care of in the coming weeks for them, but they deserved their time off.

The door to Ruby's old room opened with a creak. The last time the cloaked woman was in here, she was still Ruby Rose and Yang's funeral was only a few hours past. It felt beyond strange being back for good. She looked at the room and felt like she had to leave. Taiyang noted her closing the door and moving her bags to Yang's old room instead, which was a little sparser as Taiyang finally began to move on. As she and Neo unpacked, Taiyang came to see them.

"You okay, kiddo?" He asked.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" Reaper answered cheerily.

"Well… you passed your old room." Tai explained.

"It wasn't my room. It was Ruby's." Reaper deadpanned.

"Sweetie…"

"Tai!" Reaper raised her voice only slightly. Not enough to be angry, but enough to hammer her point home.

"Anything special you guys want for dinner?" He asked to change the subject, and looked to Neo.

Neo signed something to Reaper, and the scythe master translated, "Mac and Cheese, with hot dogs. If we got it." Reaper heard nothing and turned to see her shocked father. "What?"

"Is she staying in here too?" Taiyang asked.

"Yes. Yes, she is." Reaper told him, seeing where this was going.

"But… what if she tries to-"

"Dad. I know you don't want to hear it, but it's a little too late to save my 'purity'." The scythe master told him.

Taiyang didn't know how to respond to that one, only muttering something about mac and cheese as he walked away.

And so, the break began for our dark lovers. A few good meals, a few days on the town, and few nights that made Taiyang glad he bought soundproofing for his room back when Yang started dating, was all in store for them. Of course, in the back of their minds they knew it wouldn't last. Torchwick was still out there, somewhere. But Reaper wasn't worried anymore, because Neo was right. They could handle the crime lord. And Reaper looked forward to proving it, all over the man's smug little face.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed the Vytal Festival! I know i did a lot of setup this Act, but i did it now so i wouldn't have to do it later. I enjoy setting up and forshadowing well in advanced to avoid the impression that i write and think on the fly. I do have a plan for much of BR's future. If you aren't following my Insta, i recommend it because that is where i'll be making any and all announcements, incuding when Act 3 is ready to be released. Also, for those of you that don't follow my Insta, there is a new story premiering tomorrow! So i'll see you all soon!**


	14. The Hunt Begins

Act 3  
Yesteryear's Demons

Reaper Rose woke up late in the morning, lacking the sensation of Neopolitan around her. With a stretch and a yawn, she stumbled out of bed and into her underwear and tank top, a habit she picked up when her father walked into her room without knocking one morning and saw both the dark lovers wearing naught but what they were born with. Not an experience she needed twice. _Neo is probably in the kitchen,_ Reaper thought, recalling how surprisingly efficient the small girl is as a cook.

Reaper debating leaving the room just yet. It would be fun to sneak up on her lover while she was cooking, but that could ruin the meal. On top of that, her father was still uneasy whenever she left the room in anything less than fully clothed, so she instead went straight to the closet. She realized her mistake as she opened the closet door. Her and Neo's things were still in bags, as all of Yang's items were yet to be taken from the closet. Curiosity struck at that moment, however, and for the first time in three weeks of sleeping in her sister's old room, Reaper looked through the closet.

A lot of it was clothing and things she knew her sister had, so Reaper dug deeper. She wanted to find the things that may have rarely seen the light of day when Yang was alive. She hit pay dirt quickly, stumbling upon Yang's 'little black dress'. Hanging just at the knees, black latex, sleeveless, and turtle-necked. A split ran up the right side, all the way up to the hip, making Reaper wonder just how much would be left to the imagination. A pair of above-elbow length latex gloves hung on the same hanger.

She set the dress aside, wondering what kind of things could be stashed deeper than _that_. She didn't see anything that popped out, until a long red scarf caught her vision. Years ago, Summer was trying to teach Yang how to knit and sew. The blonde's first idea was to make a scarf for Ruby, and got so caught up in it, she made it waaay too long. She presented it as the 'Yang's Xiao Way-Too-Long scarf!'. Ruby wore it every day, tripping over it constantly, until it vanished. It seemed Yang took it back after seeing Ruby fall one too many times.

With a smile, Reaper also set that aside and kept searching. _Looks like that's everything worth looking for…_ The woman deduced. She was proven wrong when an unassuming box caught her vision. Nothing very standout about brown cardboard, but what was written on top…

'Rubes 16 B Day!' Was scrawled across the top in bad handwriting. Reaper stared, the cogs turning in her mind. Yang had gotten her a birthday present… _But the festival… she died before my birthday… she never got a chance to give this to me… did dad not know about it?_

Neo went back to the room a few minutes later to get Reaper for breakfast, and saw her staring at the box laid out on the bed. Neo put two and two together, and approached slowly to lay a hand on Reaper's shoulder. "What I do, Neo…?" Reaper asked her. "This present is Ruby's… I don't know if I have any right to open it…"

'Remember that dream you told me about?' Neo signed. 'I think, no matter what, Yang would rather you have this.'

Reaper nodded in silent thought. With a deep breath, she took off the lid. A beautiful black leather corset lay within. Simple red accents decorated the sides, and a layer of white lace lined the inside. There was a note Yang wrote to herself inside. 'Don't forget to wrap this, Yang! And remember your lines! _A more mature corset for a more mature Ruby! Use it wisely!_ That's sure to make her blush!'.

Reaper chuckled softly, running her hand over the item. Her eyes darted back to the dress and the scarf she found, an idea forming in her head. Her current outfit worked, but that's all it did. It served its purpose at a time Reaper just needed something simple and survivable, when she was still learning her new identity. _Not much to look at, though… perhaps it's time for an upgrade…_

Reaper fished out a few more items from the closet and assembled her new outfit. The latex dress was prominent, the turtle neck going all the way up her neck. The corset went over it, and she wrapped the scarf around her waist a few times, using it as a sash of sorts. A thick belt held that in place, with a cross shaped buckle. She traded her boots out for black versions of Yang's old boots, and dressed her legs in black leggings. She used a pair of Yang's shorts under them instead of underwear, because the dress's split really didn't leave much to the imagination, and there were some things only Neo was allowed to see. She also wore the latex gloves, though she cut the index fingers off each one so her trigger fingers were still free. Last was her cloak, complete with a new buckle shaped after her new 'Reaper' symbol, a hooded skull.

It was quickly clear that Neo was very appreciative of the outfit change.

It was also quickly clear that Taiyang wasn't so much.

* * *

"I forbid it."

"You don't even know what I'm going to do."

"You cannot leave. The upcoming gala too important to your future."

"My future, will be there for me when I return. This is something I can only do now."

"You're still my daughter. You will go nowhere."

"I'm an adult. You can't stop me."

Weiss and her father were continuing an argument from the past few days. Jacques wasn't happy when he heard of his daughter's plan to spend a few weeks in Vale on an 'extra credit assignment' for Beacon. "I can, and I will. I have no idea what you plan, but there is no Winter Assignment for Beacon. No doubt this has something to do with that… girl."

"Do not make this about Blake. This has nothing to do with her." Weiss deadpanned. "This is about helping a friend."

"Do you mean that criminal?" Jacques countered. "I really don't like the company you seem to be keeping at Beacon. Perhaps it is time to pull you from that place entirely. Something long overdue."

"Did you know that there are third and fourth year students living on their own?" Weiss asked him. "Because they're adults, and they can make their own decisions. I _am_ an adult, father, and this _is_ my decision now."

"Then I suppose you have a choice, Weiss. Your family, or your so called friends." Jacques advised. "Choose wisely."

Just then Jacques scroll sounded off. He looked at the contact name, sent a curious look Weiss's way, and answered. "Hello… Yes she has told me… but the rest of Beacon has no-!... Special circumstances? So they _are_ the only one?... I see… Yes, of course she'll be there." He ended the call with a defeated voice.

"Who was that?" Weiss asked.

Jacques shot an accusatory look her way. "I don't know how you did it, but Ozpin just called to inform me that team WBRN does, in fact, have an extra credit assignment in Vale, available only to them. It seems my hands are tied. To keep you here now would only suffer your studies."

Weiss smiled triumphantly.

"Just know, Weiss… With your behavior lately, I am going to have to seriously reconsider your future." Jacques warned. "Go pack."

* * *

Weiss met Blake at Vale's airship station. With a huge sigh, she collapsed dramatically into her girlfriend's arms.

"Long flight?" Blake asked, giggling.

"Long stint at home… Father is growing more irritating by the day." Weiss vented. "He wanted to keep me in Atlas, to attend some events 'for the good of my future'."

"You've come a long way from becoming your father, Weiss." Blake told her. "Have you… Never mind."

"Have I what?" Weiss asked.

"I'll tell you later." Blake promised, though how much later was up to her bravery.

Weiss frowned. "Okay…"

"Hey guys!" There was a shout from across the hall. The checkmate pair looked up to see the rest of their team approaching with Taiyang.

Blake couldn't help but stare at Reaper's new outfit. "Well… that's some transformation…"

"So, are you guys ready?" Reaper asked them, smirking at Blake's awestruck face.

"Almost. Detective Black should be along any minute to explain how this will work." Weiss explained. "Apparently, we're actually earning extra credit for this."

"Thank god…" Reaper muttered.

"What's that mean? You told me you did well on your exams?" Weiss accused.

"I did." Reaper nodded.

"You did well?" Blake cut in. "Or you did _tell her_ you did well?"

After a moment of thought, Reaper attempted, "Dealer's choice?"

"I don't think that's going to work." Black announced his presence as he strode up to the girls.

"What are you, some kind of detective?" Reaper joked.

"Shut up, Yang." Weiss shot. "Hello, detective."

"Good evening." He greeted in return. "I trust you girls enjoyed your time off?"

"It was pleasant." Blake answered.

"It was cold." Weiss told him.

"Yeah." Reaper agreed, smirking at Neo. "But at least I had my bed warmer."

"That's… enough." Black cut them off.

Neo made a few gestures that only Reaper could decipher, and they weren't sure they wanted to know. The scythe master's immediate reaction was to suggestively wiggle her eyebrows.

"Back to the matter at hand!" Weiss politely took control of the situation. "How is this going to work, Detective?"

"Due to Reaper and Neopolitan's experience in Torchwick's organization, I managed to have them brought on as 'consultants'. Because of their status, you are here to watch them when and if I can't." Black told Weiss. "Ozpin arranged to make it a team exercise, mainly so Blake can be here, but it _will_ garner 'extra credit' for your schooling based on your performance."

Neo nudged Reaper's arm, and the girl jumped as though she just remembered something. "Um, uh… Me and Neo-"

"Neo and I" Weiss instinctively corrected.

"Me and Neo," Reaper stubbornly powered through, "really appreciate you doing this for us."

"To be completely honest, it's not entirely about helping you stay out of trouble." Black informed them. "Torchwick is good. The police don't have enough knowledge about how he operates. When I say you're consultants… I tried looking for him over the past few days. It quickly became clear that I don't know where to start."

The four girls traded looks. "Junior's Club?" Weiss posed.

"Junior's Club." The others agreed instantly.

* * *

The group arrived soon enough at the Club. Reaper looked over Detective Black. "No offense, but you _really_ give off that cop vibe." She told him.

"So what, I should stay out here?" He asked her. Reaper nodded. "I have some paperwork anyways. I'll be back at the station."

Black made his departure and the girls continued inside. Once they entered, Neo noticed the downside of her dark lover's alluring attire. She was now eye candy for every straight man and gay woman in the whole club, and the mass of clubbers certainly indulged. Neo stood closer to Reaper, hoping to give off the _she's mine_ impression.

When Neo looked up at Reaper herself, she saw the face she wore. It was a face she hadn't worn in a long time before this Torchwick incident, but had been returning to often lately. It was a face of deep thought and concentration. This is where 'Reaper' was the farthest from 'Ruby'. She was looking at everything, trying to think out all possibilities. She was planning, knowing her opponent in this game was someone just as observant. What Neo knew of Ruby was calm, carefree, and a little impulsive. Reaper spent her entire short criminal career picking up and perfecting various skills and instincts. And now she was using all of them for this hunt.

Junior turned in time to see the entourage arrive at the bar. "It took you long enough. I was starting to think you girls wouldn't be coming."

"You were expecting us?" Weiss asked, surprised.

"You know." Reaper told him.

"I know." Junior nodded.

"Have you heard anything?" Reaper asked next. Weiss let her take the lead, knowing the girl had both experience and history here.

"No." The club owner answered.

The heiress rolled her eyes. "Look, between Reaper and I, I'm sure we can pay whatever we need for-"

"Weiss, he's telling the truth." Reaper cut her off. "He hasn't come in at all?"

"Nope."

"So you have nothing? Not even theories?"

"Well, I have one." Junior teased.

"Old rules?" Reaper asked, laying 500 Lien on the table.

"Wait, what? What rules?" Weiss was suddenly interested. After dropping four grand here, she was curious how Reaper might get away with only 500.

"Doesn't concern you." Junior warned.

"I'll tell you later." Reaper assured. "Junior?"

"A ship with Atlas tech was attacked off the coast, a few weeks after the breakout. I managed to get copies of the shipping manifest and the salvage report. Lots of pieces went 'unrecoverable'." Junior told her.

"I don't see how this connects to Torchwick." Reaper countered.

"None of Vale's active players have any need for the things gone missing." Junior continued.

"What makes you think they're still in Vale?" Reaper asked.

"Can't move this much out of kingdom without help. And the major players know nothing." Junior finished.

Reaper thought for a few moments before pulling more Lien cards from her pocket. "500 more for good info, and some 'padding' for copies of those documents." Reaper told him.

"Geoff!" He called out.

"Got it, sir." Geoff walked off.

The group stood, waiting for the copies. "Anything else?" Junior asked after a moment.

"Actually… I've been curious… how are things? As a whole?" Reaper asked him.

"About what you would expect." Junior told her. "Do you always quit your jobs with such a spectacular mess?"

"Mess?" Weiss asked.

"Torchwick had gained control of the Palette Mafia's assets." Junior explained. "And not two weeks later, his entire organization goes under. It made a massive power vacuum. Vale's underworld was chaos."

"I don't remember anything like that…" Thought Weiss, who read the news every day.

"The news stations were too enamored with Torchwick and Reaper's trials." Junior reminded them. "By the time those were over, things had calmed down."

"And you're still helping us?" Blake asked.

"I'm neutral. As long as you can pay, I don't really care." Junior pointed out. "And honestly, Torchwick's rise was a little too fast, don't you think he may have stepped on a few toes? Don Palette was desperate to maintain balance. The other major players didn't agree with his decision. That wasn't going to go well either way, and lately, a lot of people agree that what went down was the lesser of two evils."

Neo signed something, and Reaper translated, "But things are still in a sorry state?"

"The underworld is the weakest it's ever been right now." The club owner continued explaining. "The hole you and Torchwick left never really got filled. But no one's holding it against you. You always showed more respect than your boss. Torchwick kind of had it coming."

"And you're giving us this for free?" Blake half asked, half joked.

"I figure Reaper deserves to know. The rest of you just happened to be here." Junior told them. Geoff had returned and now handed the girls two sheets of paper. "And that's our business concluded."

"Thanks Junior." Reaper nodded.

"No offense, but the day I stop seeing you four is a day I look forward too." Junior told them.

 _We understand_ , Neo nodded.

The girls left the club, looking over the sheets they picked up from Junior. The longer they walked, the more Reaper realized something. She stealthily called it out to Neo, who signed to the whole group so they had a silent understanding. The girls of team WBRN were being followed.

* * *

 **I got seven chapters for this act! Don't forget to follow my Insta for any and all news, Follow, Favorite, and most importantly, leave some feedback! i love me some feedback. Don't forget Phoenix Rose tomorrow either! If you haven't started it yet, now's a good time to get into the story! Have fun reading, as i know i had fun writing!**


	15. The Meet

**A few things. Yes, Ember did not make an appearance the last chapter, as a few of you pointed out. Honestly, writing a character with multiple personalities is hard. In the past, i've re-written entire scenes to include Ember when i noticed she had no lines. It's also tough making room for a mute character when she's surrounded by speaking characters, and i think that's why I think i didn't notice i missed Ember until i was uploading. She does have plenty to do in this Act, don't worry. Her work is cut out for her.**

 **Also, i forgot to mention last time, if you're liking this story, check out reaper ember schnee's (with periods instead of spaces) story 'White Reaper'. It's a BRAU AU of their own making, a fanfic to my fanfic. If you like my story, go give them some support too!**

 **And now to the craziness.**

* * *

The group didn't call attention to their tail immediately. They instead continued wandering, acting as though they had no clue, even stopping inside a convenience store at one point. The man didn't enter, but he was waiting for them when they got back out. They continued walking down the street for some time. Weiss heard a crumpling noise, and looked over to see Reaper with a candy bar. "Wait… where did you get that?"

"From the convenience store." Reaper told her.

"I didn't see you buy anything…" Weiss noted.

"No, you didn't." Reaper answered vaguely.

"Damn it, Reaper…" Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What? Do you know what this for tagged for? A buck fifty! For a candy bar! Two seconds of cheap chocolate and wafer! _They're_ the real thieves!" Reaper defended. "Not like I'm selfish… I got one for Neo too."

Weiss looked to Neo, who waved happily with a half-eaten bar in her other hand. "You two are too much…"

The group turned down an alley, hopefully appearing absent minded about it. The tail turned to corner and took a few steps down the alley, except no one was there. He began to panic, knowing Reaper's reputation. He turned and tried to leave hastily. Suddenly he was laying on top of a dumpster, with no memory of how he ended up in that position. "What the…" He saw the black hood.

"Hello, kind sir." Reaper greeted. Her hand shot to his throat. He could still breath, but her knew this girl could snap his neck without a second thought.

"Reaper!" Weiss warned. She was getting a little too scary, a little too close to wickedness.

Reaper relented, but kept the dark stare. "You're following us." Reaper told him. "And now you'll tell us why."

"You know why… I heard your questions." The man answered.

"Torchwick. So what's your role?" Reaper pressed on.

"To tail you, to see what you find out. And to deliver a message." He told them.

"A message?" Weiss asked.

"A meet. Noon. The mall near Residential." He told them.

"Seriously?" Weiss asked. "That's reckless…"

"He's not reckless." Reaper countered. "He won't even show unless we're alone. If he already has agents that can tail us, he'll have people watching the mall for police. He'll have a plan… Lie, cheat, steal… and survive."

"Let's get back to the station." Blake told them. "We can take the canary with us."

"Wait, what? He said you would let me go?" The man told them.

 _And you believed him?_ Neo rolled her eyes as the group took the man into custody.

Ten minutes later he was behind bars, and Black was looking over the files they got from the Club. "I don't see what these can do… The stolen items don't seem related at all."

"But there's something there." Reaper assured him. "I do believe this is Torchwick. The man would cover his tracks."

"I'll get this over to someone in Atlas. Maybe they can pose a few theories." Black told them. "What about the meet?"

Weiss looked hesitant to answer. As much as she believed in the police and doing what's right, she trusted Reaper's judgement in this situation as well. "Team WBRN goes alone. Otherwise, he won't show."

Black sighed. "Very well. At the very least, we may get to know what he wants. Fine, I'll clear it. You girls should get some sleep. Beacon's comped hotel rooms not too far from here."

Weiss nodded, and the group took off for the night.

* * *

"So Reaper and I are in 201, and Blake and Neo are in 202." Weiss counted off.

"I get them wanting us to be watched, but you trust us, right, Weiss?" Reaper asked.

"I do. Mostly. Why?" The heiress was pretty sure she already knew.

"Well, you and Blake would want to be together, wouldn't you?" Reaper suggested.

"And you and Neo would get to be together as well." Weiss smirked.

"So what do you think?" The scythe master carried on, ignoring her leader's comment.

Soon enough the girls were settled in to their rooms. The dark lovers in 201, and the checkmate pair in 202. "I'm kind of surprised you let that happen." Blake told her girlfriend.

"I was thinking about it anyways." Weiss confessed. "They get to be glued together all break long, and I haven't seen you in nearly a month."

"So you miss me?" Blake smiled.

"More than you know…" The two shared and embrace and a kiss.

They settled in to bed, and Blake could tell there was something bothering Weiss. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah…" The heiress began. "Blake, you were going to say something today? At the landing pads?"

Blake was surprised. She didn't expect Weiss to be thinking about that. "Um… yeah, what of it?"

"What was it?" Weiss asked.

"Nothing important." The faunus dodged.

"Bull." The heiress frowned.

"What?"

"I think I might already know what you want to say." Weiss admitted slowly. "And I want you to get it off your chest."

Blake looked over her girlfriend and sighed. "Weiss, I love you. Nothing changes that. I don't love your status. I don't love your money. I love _you._ And, to be honest…" Blake grew more nervous as she approached her point. "I appreciate when you get stuff for me, because I know it comes from the heart. But your fortune was built on faunus labor abuse. It's just, sometimes…" Blake looked to her own leg, sleek black metal reflecting her sad face. "Sometimes I wish you were broke… rather than inheriting a fortune built on blood money."

Weiss also seemed to grow sad. "But what can I do? I can't change who I was born to… I want to redeem the Schnee family honor. You know that."

"But do you have to play your father's game to do so? Do you really have to inherit _his_ company?" Blake pointed out.

"But what else is there?" Weiss countered. "You think I haven't thought of this? The SDC is powerful for a reason. They hold the most, and the largest, Dust mines. Father doesn't let any competition become a real threat. He always finds a way. Remember Flint?"

"Weiss…" Blake could barely believe what she was about to reveal. "What if I told you… there was a Dust mine out there? One your father knows nothing of, that rivals even his in size? You could set yourself up as a competitor… Maybe even find some of his board that are sympathetic to you and the faunus, and bring them over?"

"Blake, if something like that existed, my father would… wait…" Weiss looked to her girlfriend, realization setting in. "Are you telling me you know for a _fact_ there is a mine that large, that my father doesn't know about?"

"My parents found it." Blake told her. "It's a most closely guarded secret. A trump card, to use when the time is right. My father never even told the White Fang, he knew there were one or two extremists, though he didn't expect them to take over… I think the time is right, Weiss. All we need is someone with profile. A powerful name to back us."

Weiss was in deep thought. "This isn't a quick decision… it's life changing." Weiss told her girlfriend. "Give me some time."

Blake smiled, her hopes high. "So… about this room?"

"What about it?" Weiss asked.

"You said you missed me… but we spent all day together, right?" Blake suggested.

"We spent all day working." Weiss countered.

"So, now it's play time, right?" Blake teased.

Weiss turned red, figuring out what she was talking about. "You're incorrigible."

"Yes." Blake agreed. "But you liked it."

Weiss looked over her faunus girlfriend, and found a small smile. "Maybe I did."

Reaper and Neo heard things that night that they would tease the couple about for a long time.

* * *

In Atlas, a message appeared at the desk of a tall white-dressed figure. _Atlas tech in Vale investigation, please advise?_ The figure opened the page and looked over the contents, before sending them to their scientists for the requested analysis. The figure's interest was piqued. How could stolen Atlas tech go under their radar? A few emails were sent out to various 'friends' in Vale. The question, _what case is detective Black of the VPD currently working on?_

* * *

The girls arrived at the mall about twenty minutes before noon. They noticed the multitude of people and noise present.

"This seems unusual, even for a mall… I can barely think in here." Weiss noted.

"There must be some special event bringing the crowd. Torchwick would have considered it in his plan." Reaper told her leader.

"Great…"

The girls wandered around for a few minutes, looking for wherever they were supposed to meet Torchwick. The crowd was proving difficult to navigate as they got close to the special event, a concert of some kind. Reaper started to pull ahead, her determination blinding her to the fact that Weiss and Blake were falling behind the criminal pair. Then someone bumped into Weiss, hard, turning her around. "Excuse you!" She shouted at the person walking away. She turned back to try and find Reaper and got bumped again, nearly falling to the floor as she got pushed back. "Hey!"

Blake was experiencing something similar, and she quickly noticed the same three faces hitting her. She couldn't track their scents in the crowd, but she knew what was going on. The checkmate pair were being herded. Soon enough, she was with Weiss again, and the heiress had caught on by then. "Where are Reaper and Neo?" She asked desperately.

"I don't know… I don't even see these guys comi-"

That moment, a new, larger individual shoved the two through a nearby door and barred it from the other side. The heiress banged on the door, but the crowd couldn't hear, or didn't care. "Damn it! Damn it, Damn it!"

"Weiss, do you hear that?" Blake asked, her attention turned down the hallway they were in.

Weiss stopped making noise and listened. A low growl of a sorts could be heard. It almost sounded familiar. "You think… Grimm? Could Roman have gotten Grimm in here?"

* * *

Reaper and Neo noticed they were alone. Neo tugged Reaper's cloak and pointed her attention to a man watching them intently. Reaper looked around one last time for Weiss and Blake. When she didn't see them, she decided to face this alone rather than lose this opportunity. She nodded at the man and followed him a ways away from the crowd and the noise, until…

"Hello, Reaper."

The dark woman spun around, facing the same orange hair and smug grin she remembered, though he was now wearing a black peacoat and a fedora. Her eyes turned red instantly.

"Ah, Ember. My mistake."

" **That doesn't look like you**." Ember pointed out his outfit.

"You think this is the first time I've had to 're-invent' myself? You know something about all that, 'Ruby'." Roman countered.

" **Point taken.** " Ember nodded, reaching for her back.

"And I wouldn't pull out that oversized gardening tool of yours, either." He warned.

Ember hesitated. " **Why?** "

"Y'know, huntsmen and huntresses are irritating people to deal with." Torchwick began a complex and convoluted answer. "You can't just shoot them and move on. That pesky aura gets in the way. That's why I like regular people so much!" He gestured to the crowd behind them. "Send one bullet to their head, and it's the end of them."

Neo immediately started scanning for snipers while Ember stared down her opponent. " **You're bluffing.** "

"Can you really afford to take that chance, huntress?" Roman spoke coldly.

" **If you attack us** ," the dark woman countered, " **we'll fight back anyways, and we have a whole lot of that 'pesky aura'. You know that. So what's the point of this?** "

"Just to talk…"

* * *

Detective Black received a report from Atlas. He opened the email, and wasn't surprised to see that the parts stolen couldn't be connected. However, the components of the parts could be re-arranged, and there were several theories attached. One in particular caught Black's eye, and he went for his scroll immediately.

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Hello, you've reached the Valen Asylum, Doctor Luna speaking."

* * *

" **What could we possibly have to talk about?** " Ember asked.

"Old times." Roman nodded. "You really hung me out to dry, Reaper. And for what? A past you don't deserve?"

" **A future we could reclaim.** "

"And you betray me in the process…" Roman shook his head. "'Reaper' seems to betray everybody she claims loyalty to. How could anyone trust you?"

" **You're mind games won't work here, Torchwick.** " Ember announced smugly. " **We've already been through all of that.** "

"Reaper, Ember… Give me a chance, here. We were doing great! We could again."

Ember blinked. " **No. Even if I wanted that, I don't trust that.** "

"Smart girl… It seems you haven't forgotten my lessons after all. Very well, I suppose I'll be seeing you around." Torchwick waved.

" **What keeps me from following you?** " Ember asked.

"Insurance." Was all Roman said in reply. "Come on Neo."

Neo was taken aback. Did Roman really think she would follow? By the way he stalled and turn back confused, it seemed he did.

"Neo. We don't have all day." The multi-colored girl shook her head. "Neo… what are you doing?"

The girl stepped behind Reaper and stood her ground, staring at Torchwick. The declaration was clear. _I'm staying here._

"Really…" Roman shook his head, genuinely disappointed. "You can't trust anyone these days..."

" **So it seems.** " Ember called out. " **Because there doesn't seem to be a single sniper here.** "

"Lie, cheat, steal, and survive, remember?" Torchwick teased. "Maybe that's not my plan. But I do have one. You know I wouldn't come here without." He brought his scroll to his ear. "Let it loose."

* * *

Blake followed the soft, ominous noises down the dark hallway. At the end, she turned a corner…

"What are you doing here…" She spoke softly, her voice full of fear. Weiss caught up, and wished she was far away from this place. They stared at the figure, tall, foreboding, dressed in a large orange jumpsuit, with shiny new cybernetics on its arm and face that were clearly shambled together from the stolen Atlas pieces. They backed away slowly, seeing the monstrosity was held in place by heavy chains and locks onto some kind of pallet.

Just then, the room came to life. Hologram screens appeared, all showing pictures of Reaper. Aggravated roars started, slowly getting louder. The locks started deactivating and fell away. The figure was coming alive, and that was the last thing the checkmate pair wanted.

The ex-criminal pair heard the next roar from where they were. Ember didn't want to believe it, while Roman only smirked and walked the away. The roar sounded inhuman, but it was also all too familiar.

 _No…_

" **Of all the** _ **fucking**_ **bad luck…** "


	16. A Turn for The Worse

**had to change the chapter name real quick**

* * *

The outside of the mall was still peaceful. For a few seconds, at least. Ember came flying out of the wall with enough force to turn the brickwork into dust. People shouted and backed away, not liking where this was going. The scythe master herself stood up slowly from across the street, watching the hole. " **Of all the people… in all the world… he could have recruited… he just** _ **had**_ **to bring you…** " The monstrosity stepped through the hole, his one intact eye filled with unbridled fury. " **Creature…** "

The beast roared again. His arm had a significant upgrade with the new Atlas gear. Now, his cannon had three clawed fingers coming off the rim, apparently allowing him to grab people and throw them with enough force to shatter walls. His eye seemed to be better too. Ember didn't think he was going to be as easy to beat as he was last time.

 _That phrasing suggests last time was easy._

" **Shut up, Reaper!** " Ember shouted, dodging a glowing blue blast from Creature's arm. The building it hit instead started collapsing – right on top of the people inside. " **Fuck!** " Ember rushed back in, speed semblance in full throttle, trying to save everyone. " **Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!** " She repeated in frustration, grabbing people and throwing them outside. She was almost too late to grab the last one. Unfortunately, she _was_ too late to toss the last one out the window. The roof was coming down, and she shielded the old lady with her body.

Small, quick footsteps ran up to them, and Ember felt the light of Neo's teleportation. Ember looked up at the building, now a few blocks down, crumbling.

"Thank you so much young- oh! It… it's you." The old woman's voice almost became fearful.

Ember sighed and looked up to Neo. " **Get her out of here, along with anyone else who can't run quickly enough on their own. I'll draw Creature away and think of something.** " Neo nodded reluctantly and vanished again, taking only the old woman with her.

Ember eyed down Creature, studying him as he approached. " **All right, you son of a bitch… How do I kick your ass?** "

Creature roared and fired again. Ember dodged gracefully and ran toward her target. She jumped past him, hooking her scythe around his neck. She swung around him like this, the blade refusing to penetrate his semblance. She used her position and momentum instead to try and throw him to the ground with a hefty swing. Creature stumbled, but didn't fall. Quick thinking on Ember's part led her to try and sweep his legs too.

Her thinking was too quick, it seemed. She had forgotten the last time she swung at Creature like this and bent her scythe. When the shaft of her scythe hit his legs, it was knocked from her hands. Creature backhanded Ember about twenty feet away.

 _We can't beat him without a plan, and we can't make a plan while we're fighting him. We need him to go away._

 _ **I got it, but-**_

Ember spotted a manhole on the ground, and had an idea. She dialed Neo on her scroll, dodging Creature's claws and reaching for Brutal Thorn at the same time. Neo picked up. " **We need a map of Vale's sewer system, ASAP!** " _click._

 _Did she even hear you?_

 _ **Don't have time to make sure!**_

Ember focused on avoiding further hits until she felt her scroll buzz. Speeding away from Creature, she checked it real quick and found what she was looking for. " **Alright, Franken-fucker V.2! Come and get me.** " Ember sped off, slowly enough that Creature could still follow.

As she neared her mark, she sped up. Using Gravity rounds and her semblance, she got faster and faster. Then, she turned Brutal Thorn's blade down and ground herself to a halt, causing a large fracture. Creature came around the corner, running to her. She tossed her scythe aside and raised her fist, channeling heat and flame into in.

 _Three_

 _ **Two**_

 _One_

 _ **Now!**_

Ember brought her fist down, and shattered the pavement. Creature fell into the resulting hole before he could grab Ember, and tumbled into a deep, cylindrical storm drain. He vanished into darkness before Ember could hear him hit the bottom. The woman collapsed then and lay there until her team found her.

Weiss looked down the hole. "Do you think he's-?"

"No." Reaper answered, staring up at the sky and thinking. "He'll be back. And we need to be ready."

* * *

Back at the hotel, the girls settled in for bed. The day had been far more exciting than anyone anticipated, and they needed time to think. In room 201, Neo was finishing up a shower. Part of her was hoping Reaper would join her, and they would 'work off stress' together. When she got out, however, Reaper was still standing in the exact same position. Staring out the window, thinking. Neo frowned. In recent months as a student reinforced a lesson she learned as a criminal. Sometimes, it's better to relax, refresh the mind. Reaper needed that now.

Neo Grabbed her arm and pointed at the bed, her face stern. _You are getting some sleep._

"Neo, we have no idea where Creature is. No idea of his capabilities. I don't have-" Reaper faltered. She had heard something very similar to this once… when Blake nearly destroyed herself stressing over Torchwick and the White Fang. And Ruby was where Neo is now, trying to convince a stubborn team mate to rest. "Alright…" She conceded.

The quick turnover surprised Neo, but she would ask about it later. Right now, she was happy getting Reaper into bed. Well, not in that way… maybe after they dealt with Creature.

"But I'm still very wound up… you know of any 'activities' that might help me relax?" Reaper suggested.

 _Or maybe not._ Neo smiled seductively.

* * *

 _Knock knock knock_

"Reaper! Neo! Team meeting!"

Silence was all that was heard after her knock. The heiress frowned. "Are they asleep already…?" She knocked again. "Come on, you two!"

Finally, Reaper spoke up. "Ummm… Can you give us like… ten minutes?"

"… For wha- Oh god!" Weiss shuddered. "Now, of all times!? You two are disgusting!"

"'Oh, kitty, push it deeper!'" Reaper teased, repeating a line she heard through the wall the night before.

"FUCK YOU!" Weiss slapped her hand over her mouth, her face turning red as a tomato.

 _ **Ohhh, the princess lost her composure.**_

 _Yeah, we should probably cool it for a while._

"L-look… I just need to hear what happened when you and Creature ran off for my report to detective Black." Weiss managed. "Just… text it to me, I guess… and by god, I've seen the messes you two make, do _not_ leave that for the hotel maids."

"By your command, fearless leader." Reaper assured through the door. "Hey, you think they have the little maid outfits? Maybe we could borrow one." She continued, likely to Neo alone, forgetting Weiss was there.

"I'm leaving. Text details. Clean up." Weiss stuttered and stormed into her and Blake's room.

Blake immediately drew Weiss into a comforting hug.

"Hello, Blake…" Weiss sighed, returning it.

"You okay?" The faunus asked her girlfriend. "You don't often lose it like that. What happened?"

"I'll tell you later… let's just say last night probably won't be happening again for a while…" Weiss confessed.

"Damn it, Reaper." Blake cursed under her breath, or so she thought.

Weiss shook her head. "I don't know who's worse, you or them. At least with you I can blame your literature. I don't know what happened to my old partner…"

"A lot, Weiss." Blake reminded her. "Not like it happened overnight."

"Yeah…" Weiss lamented, almost missing the old days with the sweet little girl she almost admitted was her best friend.

* * *

The girls went straight to the police station the first thing the next morning. The looks Reaper got were not happy looks.

 _It looks like everybody blames us for the shitstorm yesterday._

 _ **To be fair, this could have been avoided.**_

 _No, Ember. We did the right thing back then. We're a huntress. We're not a killer anymore._

 _ **We're still a Reaper. And perhaps it's just Creature's time…**_

"Shut up." Reaper told her inner voice, effectively silencing it.

"I haven't even said anything yet." Black argued, the girls having just arrived at his desk.

"Not talking to you." Reaper assured him. He didn't seem any more comfortable.

"Weiss, I looked into what you asked me about last night." Black told her.

"And?" Weiss asked.

"Wait, what did I miss?" Reaper cut in.

"Nothing you would regret missing, Ms. French Maid." Blake teased.

"Hey!" the dark woman shot back, Neo stiffening beside her. The detective stared at the two for a moment.

"Do I want to know?" Black asked the heiress.

"No, you don't. About Stein?"

 _Stein?_ Neo was visibly surprised.

"He wasn't reported as an escapee, but as far as we can tell, he got out the same day as Torchwick." Black explained. "Another team was assigned to him, and they found him dead in his old 'office' a few days ago. This was only just brought to my attention with the situation with Creature officially connecting the two."

"Torchwick used him to rebuild Creature." Blake concluded. "Then threw him away."

"So it seems." Black continued. "So now we know the how, we knew the why, now we just need the where."

"There's no sign of him?" Reaper asked.

"We're not even sure he made it out of the sewers." The detective shook his head. "And no one's going down to check."

"Good." The scythe woman nodded. "As long as he's not causing destruction, it gives us time to think."

"We can't leave him out there." Black told her. "My orders are to split priorities. Two of you need to be permanently assigned to finding and dealing with Creature."

"Reaper is the only one that really hold him in combat." Weiss pointed out. "Her and I will focus on Creature. Neo, Blake, keep looking for Torchwick."

"Got it, boss." Reaper nodded. "You keep an eye on Blake, Neo."

Neo nodded. 'Be safe, both of you.' She signed back.

"Of course." Reaper pulled Neo into a deep kiss. "For luck." She winked.

Blake looked to Weiss. Weiss looked back. "You sure you want to do that here?" Blake nodded, and Weiss proceeded to pet her ears.

Reaper stared on in disbelief. Weiss huffed. "What? You have your luck ritual, we have ours. Not everything we do is inspired by you two, letters or not."

Reaper blinked and shrugged. "Whatever. I'm easy."

"Where do we start with Creature?" Weiss asked as the gang parted ways.

"I want to look at Stein's notes. Maybe his new tech has weaknesses. Or advantages. Either way, we should know." Reaper planned.

"Agreed." Weiss nodded.

* * *

Weiss and Reaper entered Stein's apartment twenty minutes later. The place was a mess, even more so than the first time they were here. Reaper again felt dirty just looking at the place. The table they froze Stein to was knocked over, and a chalk outline near it pointed to where the man drew his last breath. Weiss frowned. "He was intelligent, even if he was a little mad. What a waste."

Reaper was already digging into the drawers. "Let's get to work."

"You don't waste time." Weiss pointed out.

"Not with Creature. I still can't forget what he did to Neo. I don't like him out there. Even less than I like Torchwick being free…" The scythe master told her.

"Reaper… if Torchwick wasn't hunting you, would you be chasing him?" Weiss asked.

Reaper stalled in place. She frowned. "I'm honestly not sure… maybe if we could reconcile… if I could make him understand… but for all his cold logic, Roman can be _very_ emotional. Have I ever told you about his secretaries? A new one every couple of days, because he got bored of them. Or so he said, but half of them flirted with me and ignored him, so take that as you will. We never got to be friends, not like Neo and me. I could barely stand the man."

"You don't betray your friends… And Roman isn't your friend." Weiss concluded. "But if he was?"

"I don't betray my friends." Reaper answered. "But he's not my friend. Don't worry."

"Alright." Weiss nodded. "Let's get to work."

It only took about twenty minutes of searching through papers before Weiss saw Reaper staring at all the tech rather than the documents in her hands. "I could probably build some nifty shit from all of this."

"Reaper, you yourself said we need to focus." Weiss scolded.

"But there's nothing here." Reaper complained.

"Have you even looked?" Weiss asked.

"Yes!" Reaper shouted, her eyes briefly flashing red. "Yes I have!" She threw the papers at Weiss, all detailing Creature's upgrades. "Stein had access to better shit this time around, and he utilized it. Seriously, I'm surprised he didn't see Torchwick's betrayal coming…"

"Maybe he did." Weiss considered. "There's a lot of papers here… more than he needed. He was crazy, but he didn't hate you. If he knew he was screwed…"

She looked back up to Reaper, who was staring intently at the various parts lying around. "What…? Oh, yeah, no, yeah… maybe…"

Weiss blinked. "Also, I heard Neo is getting implants."

"Sounds good." Reaper responded emptily.

"And we're going to charge Creature riding unicorns." Weiss continued, wondering how long she could keep this going.

"Wait, what…?" Reaper did a double-take. "Are you… what?"

"Oh, that you heard." Weiss deadpanned. "What's going on?"

"I might have an idea…" Reaper told her, looking at the tech again. "What about whatever you were really saying? Not the unicorns. Or the implants. Think that would imbalance her anyway…"

"I was saying Stein may have hidden clues. These notes are way more than he would have actually needed." Weiss explained again.

"You think?" Reaper took the notes.

"But we're still focused on Creature, remember?" Weiss reminded her.

"Right…" Reaper looked back at the gear on the walls once again.

Weiss looked at the tech lying around as well, wondering what was going through the ex-criminals mind. "I'm going to text Blake about coming here and looking over the notes. I suppose, since there is still no sign of Creature, you can tinker away."

"Like I would have waited for your permission." Reaper pointed out. "I'm still thinking… even if I could make that… I might have to worry about his shield…."

Weiss recognized this from when Reaper was building Neo's whip. And from whenever she worked on Brutal Thorn. And even from Ruby when she was working on Crescent Rose. She was in full wrench-monkey mode, shutting everything out that didn't involve machinery. _At least she's coming up with a plan. What a leader you're turning out to be… sometimes it still feels like Reaper leads this team._ The heiress shook those thoughts out of her head and pulled out her scroll. There was still a lot of work she _could_ do.


	17. Pressed From All Sides

Blake and Neo agreed that there might be some hint in the notes, and the three girls started searching. Reaper spent the whole time tinkering. After a few hours, they decided to resume the search back at the hotel, and Reaper took the tech with her. "Damn it…" Reaper eventually spoke after another two hours.

Neo turned around and looked to her contraption. She had no idea what it was supposed to do, but it sounded like Reaper couldn't get it work. She tapped her lover's shoulder and signed, 'Any way I could help?'

"What kind? I seriously doubt your qualified to fix this basket case." Reaper joked.

Neo silently giggled and pointed to the machine. _No, help with this?_

"Oh. No, I've actually got this working fine." Reaper told her.

'Then what's the problem?' Neo signed, sitting next to the scythe master. She was a little tired of looking over the papers anyway, no kind of secret code was jumping at them.

"I can only think of one thing to guarantee immobilization from someone with Creature's strength." Reaper answered. "But I can't think of how to make it work around his shield semblance."

Neo frowned. She wasn't so sure how well she could help in that department. Reaper lay back, and Neo noticed her eyes were tinging. 'More frustrated than you let on?' She signed.

"What? Oh, yeah, Ember is waiting for me to completely flip over this…" Reaper confessed. "I've practically been banging my head against a wall for the past hour. I'm surprised I'm not shooting flames yet…"

 _Shooting flames…_ Neo remembered seeing Reaper/Ember activate that lost part of their sister's semblance. She ended up exploding an entire ship that was 'marooned' for part of the ocean biome. _Wait… Shooting flames…_ Neo also remembered just then exactly how the flames were unlocked. She grabbed Reaper's shoulder and spun her around. 'Semblances are tied to Aura, correct?' She signed.

Reaper raised her eyebrow. "Yes…? Are you on to something…?"

Neo nodded furiously. She began signing 'the belt' repeatedly.

"Belt, what Be-" Reaper's eyes widened. She grabbed her small lover by the shoulders. "The Belt! Neo, you're a genius!" She kissed her fully and rounded on Weiss. "I need The Belt from the Vytal Festival! Neo and I have an idea!"

Weiss was stunned, staring at Reaper. "Umm… yeah, sure… oh, wait, that belt!? I'll call up Ozpin." The heiress whipped out her phone, catching on to the dark lovers' brainstorm.

* * *

"Alright, Ozpin said he would have someone deliver it to the station." Weiss told them as they neared the station the next morning. "Also, apparently, there were sightings reporting during the night. You better hurry on your plan."

"Got it." Reaper nodded. "I'll just need a few minutes to modify the-"

"Weiss!" Detective Black called out to them, running down the steps to the station.

"Detective?" Weiss questioned. "Is everything alright?"

"Not really." Blake told her. "I have bad news. Atlas followed up on the stolen tech after I asked them about it. I had to tell them about Creature."

"What makes this so bad?" Blake asked.

"Atlas has a bad habit of hijacking investigations that have anything to do with them, their personnel, or their technology." Weiss informed her girlfriend. "But that's really not something to come out ahead of us and warn-"

"But you did feel the need to warn us. Is it who I think it is?" Reaper asked Black, cutting of the heiress.

The detective looked over Reaper, gauging her thoughts. "Y'know, if being a huntress doesn't pan out, you might make a good detective." Was how he answered.

"Shit…" Reaper stormed off into a nearby alley. "Shit, shit, shIT, SHIT, **SHIT,** SH **IT! FUUUCK!** "

"What's going on?" Blake asked, looking to Weiss. The heiress only stared ahead, putting pieces together.

" **FUCK!** " Ember repeated, heat waves radiating off her shoulders. " **This has** _ **got**_ **to be the** _ **worst**_ **week of our life! It's like all of our mistakes from last year are coming to** _ **fuck us**_ **all at once!** _ **And not in a fun way!**_ "

"Ember…" Weiss approached cautiously.

" **What's next!? Is Mimic gunna come around too!? I wouldn't put that past this** _ **shit**_ **week!** " Ember shouted.

"Ember!" Weiss shouted, and the scythe master turned around. "Calm down…"

Ember took a deep breath. " **Right… It's just… Roman broke out… Creature's running around… and now Winter is here… Every single mistake from our year away…** "

"Ember, what do you mean by that?" Weiss didn't like the way that was worded.

Red eyes leveled with pale blue. " **You know what we mean.** "

"Ember, you and Reaper are trying to be better than that. Letting Roman and Creature live were _not_ mistakes." Weiss deadpanned.

" **They wouldn't be here now though, would they?** " Ember countered. " **And either way, Winter is in there, and I'm damn sure she's holding a grudge for us nearly killing her.** "

"Winter is much more reasonable than the rest of my family." Weiss assured, though her voice wasn't entirely confident. "I'm sure we can talk to her…"

A moment of silence followed, before Ember finally broke it. " **Weiss, Reaper wants me to say something.** "

"What is it?"

" **Do you trust us?** " She asked.

They asked this often, in various situations, and Weiss always replied offhandedly. But that wasn't appropriate this time. This time was a time for complete honesty, untainted by humor. "I do."

" **Good.** " Ember nodded. " **If, when we get in there, you end up taking Winter's side… We won't hold it against you. She's your family after all.** "

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that…" Weiss told her. "Better go face the music."

" **Yeah… Time to get moving…** "

* * *

The station had a different air to it than the last time they were in there. Everybody recognized it, having varying different experiences with, and against, it. Military. And standing right in the center, dressed in all white, was Winter. She looked a little older than the last time Reaper saw her.

She looked over team WBRN as they approached and smiled. "Hello, Weiss. Hello, Blake." She passed over Neo and scowled at Reaper. She almost seemed to flinch at the red eyes. "Hello, Ruby."

" **That's not our name.** " Ember pressed.

"In the military, we call people by their rank or their legal name." Winter informed her.

"Actually," Blake interrupted, "Reaper had it legally changed a few months ago."

Winter seemed surprised. She also seems slightly upset, Ember noted.

 _Maybe at losing that first little battle._

"Very well, Ms. Rose." Winter turned and looked to Weiss again, holding up a familiar looking belt. "Sister, would you mind explaining why you need this so?"

"It's for Creature." Weiss answered. "He has a unique semblance, a physical shield. We were hoping to null it."

"I see. I will pass this information to the task force." Winter replied, turning away.

" **Task force?** " Reaper questioned. " **What task force?** "

"The ones going after Torchwick and Creature, of course. Criminals aren't cleared for field work." Winter responded coldly.

"But that's why we're here!" Weiss argued. "We have experience! We know how to fight him! A non-huntsman task force will only get hurt!"

"My men can handle the toughest Grimm. I think they can handle one man." Winter told them.

" **You have no idea what Creature is like.** " Ember shook her head.

"And besides," Winter continued, ignoring the scythe master, "you were only brought on for consultation, correct?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Then consultants you will remain. You and Blake can wait in the break room here. I have a holding cell set up for the criminals." Winter waved them off.

Except Ember didn't move. " **I don't blame you for hating me, but this is** _ **fucking ridiculous!**_ **That thing is a true monster.** "

"A monster you made, if I am not mistaken?" Winter countered.

" **Which makes him our responsibility.** " Ember argued.

"Hm. Weiss, you should keep better control of your subordinates." The older Schnee shrugged off the fact she had no rebuttal.

"Subordinate?" Weiss seemed to reach her last nerve as well. "They're my _team,_ Winter. And my friends. And they're right."

"Weiss…" Winter warned. "Tread carefully."

"No." The heiress put her foot down. "If you going to fight Reaper, you're going to fight my team. And if you're going to fight my team, you're going to fight me."

"Then I suppose you have a choice, Weiss. Your family, or your so called friends." Winter advised. "Choose wisely."

Weiss took a step back, looking over her sister with wide, disbelieving eyes. "You sound like father right now…"

The older sister's nostrils flared, but she remained otherwise stoic. "Make your choice." She warned.

Weiss shook her head. "Winter, you're my sister and I love you. But this time, I'm standing with my team. My friends."

Winter turned her back on the girls, facing away with an air even colder than before. "Davis? Please escort Team WBRN back to the hotel. Their presence is no longer required today. And make sure they enter the rooms they were properly assigned."

"Yes ma'am." An Atlas solider a few feet away came up to the girls and nodded at Weiss. "Move it."

As they filed out, Ember turned to Weiss. " **Are you sure this is what you want to do? She's your family.** "

"She is my family." Weiss nodded. "But I know better than anyone that family isn't always right."

Curiously enough to Ember, Weiss looked to Blake as she finished the statement.

"Wait…" Blake responded, "does that mean…?"

"Yes." Weiss nodded. "And I think I already know a few people from the SDC that might help. I'll start making calls tonight."

"Let me call my parents first." Blake told her. "They trust me, and I'm confident I can get them to trust you, but just in case…"

"I understand." Weiss nodded.

'What are we missing?' Neo signed to Ember.

" **I have no idea.** "

* * *

Being forced to their originally assigned rooms meant Reaper and Weiss were locked in 201 together without being able to physically interact with Blake or Neo in the other room. They lounged around, watched some TV, but generally just sat in awkward silence. Then Weiss's scroll went off.

"What's that?" Reaper asked.

"Detective Black… He's giving me an update on Winter's 'task force'." Weiss answered.

"And?"

The heiress shook her head. "Not good. They finally cornered him in an abandoned factory in industrial. Then he started fighting back. Nets won't hold him down, bullets bounce off of him, and they can't get close enough to use the belt… three of the task force were injured, one critically, and… oh…"

The heiress's tone made it clear. Reaper's head hung low. She was guilty for a lot of death, but this felt different. Creature was her fault, and now Winter's vengeance driven decisions were costing lives. "What was his name…?"

Weiss hesitated to answer, but soon gave in. "Her. Valerie Hope."

"Hope, huh…" the irony wasn't lost on the scythe master. "Weiss… do you trust me?"

The heiress looked up. "You always ask that when you're planning something stupid. So what is it?"

"Winter's going to find a way to kick us off this case." Reaper answered. "Might as well be on our terms. I don't want Creature to take anyone else."

* * *

Weiss managed to squeeze the address of the factory from Detective Black, and used her glyphs to help Reaper leave the hotel through the window. With the aid of Weiss's time dilation, she raced across town in record time. The glyph wore off in time for Reaper to stop and get a good look at the factory.

 _ **Maybe our luck isn't really that bad.**_

 _Yeah, maybe fate just enjoys cruel irony._

The two-in-one pair that made up the scythe master stared on at the familiar factory. The giant hole in the side still went unrepaired after nearly two years.

 _ **I guess no one wants to buy a foreclosure that used to house a drug lab.**_

 _And now 'Creature's story will end where it began._

Signs of conflict flashed through one of the windows, reminding Reaper why she was here. She jumped down and ran into the building, following the sounds of gunfire and screaming. She turned a corner and nearly ran into a group of Atlas soldiers running away from the fight. Two people remained shooting at Creature, who quickly noticed Reaper was there. The beast roared and knocked one of the two men aside, right over a section of railing. He crunched at the bottom.

"No!" The other soldier screamed, his anger taking over. He tried to continue fighting Creature, but Reaper managed to pull him away.

"Run!" She shouted at him. "I'll get your friend!"

"But…"

" _ **Get out of here!**_ " Reaper shouted, imitating Ember's energy. The man nodded and ran. Reaper knew Creature would let him go. The beast only had one target, after all. Rather than fight, however, she jumped the railing instead, intent on following through on her promise. No one else would die by Creature's hand.

Outside, the officer was currently shouting at his troops. "Cowards! You dishonor the uniform! Get back in there, and apprehend-!"

"Shut up!" Reaper scolded him upon her approach, carrying the broken form of the injured soldier. "This man needs Emergency Medical, ASAP!" She told them.

"And just who are you, little girl?" The officer asked.

"Do you not know who I am?" Reaper asked him.

"Reaper!" Weiss shouted, running up to her carrying the contraption Reaper fashioned from Steins spare parts.

"Weiss, you made it." The scythe master nodded.

"Reaper?" The officer asked.

"Blake and Neo are distracting Winter. You should have enough time to end this." Weiss informed her team mate.

"Right. I'll take that." Reaper grabbed the Belt from a nearby soldier. "Still need a minute to modify it."

"Excuse me!" The officer shouted. "Your orders are to remain at the hotel. We have this."

"The broken soldier I just pulled out of the fire says otherwise." Reaper deadpanned. "He needs a hospital. And you need to _back off_. I know Creature. I can handle this."

"Even if I could allow that, why would I?" The officer asked her. Reaper heard something she didn't expect in his voice.

 _Is he hoping I can give him an excuse?_

Reaper took a deep breath. "Valerie Hope."

The officer wasn't expecting that. "What about her?"

"If we fought Creature first, like originally planned, Valerie Hope might still be alive." Reaper continued. "If Creature is going to kill anyone else, he's going to have to kill me first."

The officer wasn't expecting something that sounded so… noble, to come from the lips of this criminal. _Maybe General Schnee is wrong about her…_ He studied Reaper with all his deductive prowess, assessing her as he would his own men. And he found nothing he didn't expect from one of his own. "You're not quite what I expected, Reaper." He told her. "You have your shot. And General Schnee will have my head…"

"Tell her I held you guys back." Weiss told him. "You'll be fine."

"Weiss, set that up somewhere and ping me the location." Reaper pointed at the contraption. "Then get the hell out of dodge."

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked.

"I have a plan." Reaper assured.

Weiss nodded. "Alright."

The girls strode back toward the factory where Creature was waiting.

 _ **It's time to finally correct this mistake.**_

* * *

 **Sorry this was late. busy day.**


	18. Pressing Her Limits

Creature was standing right where Reaper had left him, staring over the railing in the direction she had disappeared. She found it strange he didn't follow. Or move. At all. Even her new approach, as it was from behind him, seemed to go unnoticed. Belt in hand, she snuck near the beast… until her foot stepped on broken glass. The monster gave an uninterested look the direction of the sound. He grew _very_ interested when his eye met Reaper.

For a split second, Reaper noted that his still human eye seemed empty until it met her. then it filled to the brim with overwhelming rage.

"Shit." Was all she had time to say before Creature attacked.

She jumped back and out of the way, his swing going wide. She had to find a way to get the Inhibitor Belt on him… Creature brought his arm level with Reaper's face so she was staring down the barrel of his cannon, and a blue glow built inside it. She barely managed to duck before the cannon went off, singing her hair and bringing forth a flurry of expletives.

Reaper jumped down the railing once again, not wanting to fight in such a narrow space. This time, Creature had followed her down. Reaper looked from the belt in her hand, to the beast in front of her. She did have one advantage over him… The damage to Johnathon's mind that made him Creature also affected his intellect. His powers of prediction were shot, and Reaper could outrun his reaction speed. She started jumping around the room, circling Creature at high speeds. His blue-lensed eye may be able to track aura, but even it couldn't predict where Reaper was going.

Finally, Creature got fed up and fired upon one spot… a spot Reaper was already vanished from. It gave her the opening she needed to rush up from behind Creature and latch the belt the only place it would fit the over-large and over-muscled man… right around his neck. The latch clicked closed, the lights hummed on, and the black-clad woman saw a shimmer glow and fade from around her opponent's form. _Jackpot_ , she smiled.

"Reaper! Down this hallway!" Weiss shouted form across the way.

The scythe master turned around. "I said ping me! Get the hell out of here!"

"Like you can check your scroll! Just hurry!" Weiss took off and Reaper followed down the hallway, Creature on her ass. "Right up ahead!" She pointed at it resting on one side of the hallway.

"Good, now _GO!_ " Reaper shouted at her. Weiss ran off down another hallway.

The scythe master turned on her heel and stared down the monster charging at her.

 _ **Just a little closer…**_

Creature roared and swung at Reaper, and the woman jumped high over his swing. She twisted and flipped in the air to position herself just right, and planted her feet on Creature's chest. Kicking off pushed Creature into the wall and launched her in the other direction with another flip. She landed right on the mechanism she built, setting it off. Five high strength wires launched from the nose of the device, stretching out horizontally. A multitude of blades sunk into Creature and anchored into the wall on either side of him, immobilizing him against it.

"You're done for." Reaper stood straight and brought out Brutal Thorn.

"Rrrhhee…. RRheeaper…." The monstrosity moaned, struggling against the cords.

 _Crack…_

Reaper froze. That sound of brick separating from brick should not have happened. She stared at the wall, where the blades seemed to slowly pull form the surface.

"Reeaper!" Creature shouted, straining harder, and worst of all, moving.

"Oh… Fuck me."

"REAPER!" Creature roared, pulling his arm free and grabbing Reaper with his claw. He pivoted and threw the woman through the cracked wall behind him, completely crumbling it and sending her into the next wall beyond.

 _Uughh… I think it's your turn…_ Reaper faded into the back of their shared mind.

" **Ohh… fuck you…** " Ember told Reaper. She looked up to Creature approaching. " **And fuck you, too…** "

Creature brought his human fist forward, and Ember barely caught and stopped it using both hands.

" **So that's why… the blades must not have sunk in as far as they should have…** " Ember thought out loud. There was some resistance under her hand, but it didn't feel like Johnathan Wine's impenetrable shield. It felt spongier, more malleable. She curiously dragged on finger across the back of his hand, seeing a dull gray cloud instead of a bright white light. With enough force, she brought her fingernail to his skin and drew blood. " **I got you now, mother fucker.** " Ember smiled.

Creature pulled back his fist, seeing it wasn't working, and swung his claw instead. Ember ducked, her hand closing around Brutal Thorn, and she swung her own weapon up. Hitting Creature felt like striking water. Resistance at first, but her blade cut through nonetheless. Creature swung his metal arm back around, Ember rolling away to dodge it. She spun back around to goad her opponent, only to meet his fist in her face. She flew through yet another wall, seemingly shaking the entire building.

 _Don't get cocky now. We may be able to cut him, but it's still Creature._

" **As our broken nose is firmly reminding me…** " Ember groaned through the blood draining out of her nostril.

Creature charged forward, and Ember decided it was time for Creature to go through a brick wall. She jumped completely over him and kicked his back with full force, successfully putting him through the wall behind her. " **HAH! What now, mother fucker!?** "

 _Ember. Focus._

 _ **Yeah, Yeah**_

Creature jumped out from behind the rubble, claw swinging. Ember blocked with a swing from Brutal Thorn, and the two entered a faced paced, drawn out melee. Blow for blow, no one landed a true hit until Ember blocked a grab attempt my Creature's claw with the shaft of her scythe. A blue glow threatened from around the black barrel, and Ember's eyes widened. " **Son of a bitch…** "

The blast sent her flying back. She didn't break through the wall this time, but still caused a significant dent. She didn't notice that rubble from above her also fell to the floor. She jumped back at him, and swung wide. She managed to hit Creature, but she also cut clean through a support pillar nearby. The pair resumed battle in this manner, dancing around the factory floor and damaging the scenery as much as each other. Ember's wide swings were slicing through walls and the hits Creature missed would instead shatter the area where his opponent was the moment before.

Eventually, Ember found what she thought was an opportunity. Creature jammed his claw into the ground, struggling to pull it out. Ember jumped and swung her scythe down. Creature fired his cannon to get his claw out of the ground, his metal elbow smashing into the scythe, right where Ember's left hand held it. She screamed, her remaining aura not enough to keep bones from breaking. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, just two or three instead of the whole hand.

She took a step back, dragging Brutal Thorn on the ground as she could only hold it with her right hand. _**Damn it, I need to end this soon. His shield isn't impenetrable, but it's still a pain in the ass…**_ As she was looking around the factory, it finally hit her. Literally. A brick bounced off her shoulder, her aura keeping everything in place this time. Her vision drew up to where it came from. The strength of the two fighters was demolishing the arena they were in. The whole place looked ready to crumble, a thick vertical I-Beam in the center was the only thing keeping the place from falling on top of them like Jenga.

 _Ember?_

 _ **We need to beat him.**_

 _This is so gunna dull Brutal Thorn…_

 _ **Like that's the worst of our issues?**_

Creature charged, and Ember jumped over him once again. The Beast swung around, expecting Ember to be striking from behind again. Instead, she was running straight for the support beam. With a hefty swing, she buried Brutal Thorn halfway into the beam, but she couldn't pull it back out with only one hand. Creature raised his cannon.

 _ **One last time…**_

 _Dodge now!_

Ember jumped to the side. The blue blast finished off the beam, turning the base of the metal to molten slag. The roof started to cave in and Ember realized she didn't exactly plan how _she_ was going to get away. The walls crumbled, walkways fell, and the entire place folded like a piece of paper. An artificial fog fell over the area, the brick dust was not clearing away any time soon.

Weiss was still close enough to see this, and grew visibly worried. "Reaper…"

"Let's wait for the dust to clear…" The officer warned. "The man is tough. We don't know which of them is still standing."

Weiss nodded uneasily, but stayed still. She wasn't going to rush in there just to face Creature alone with no visibility. All she could do right now was hope.

* * *

Inside the fog, groaning could be heard. Some rubble started to shift, and a black figure slowly dug themselves out of the wreckage, wincing in pain the whole time. Silver eyes opened to survey the scene. She barely managed to survive the building collapse, shattering her aura and most of the rest of her hand in the process. All that remained was a small sliver of energy, but she would need that. The cloaked woman hadn't run this dry on aura since before the failed aura link. She scanned the ground for Brutal Thorn, but found something else first. A hulking shape in the fog, an unmoving silhouette.

 _I have to be sure…_

Reaper stumbled towards the shape until she could see him. Creature was pinned underneath a mass of rubble, with his back up against the remains of a wall. A chunk of I-Beam stuck out of his gut, and the metal covering what was left of his mouth was torn away. But he was still breathing. He was still growling. He was still alive, as if all he needed to sustain himself was his unending hatred.

Despite being tired, Ember managed to give her two cents.

 _ **Finish him this time.**_

Reaper was ready to agree, and kneeled beside him, her own eyes brimming with malice. When the two's eyes met, everything changed. Malice was softened into something else. Something resembling a mix of sorrow, pity, and compassion. As Creature stared up at her with anger never-ending, Reaper realized something.

 _ **Why the fuck is he still alive?**_

 _Hold on…_

 _ **Damn it, not again…**_

Reaper lowered herself until her kneel turned into a sit. "You don't remember… do you?"

Creature's only answer was to struggle in her direction, trying to pry himself from the debris to attack her once more.

"You hate me. It's all that's kept you going." Reaper continued. "But you don't remember why, do you? You've forgotten… you've lost everything… lost your humanity… All because of me…"

Everything was because of her. Creature, and the people he killed since. Neo's torture, Valerie Hope… It all could have been avoided. That's why she was furious. That's why she was determined to end this. She felt the guilt Creature couldn't. She had let that anger take over, though. By the end, she only thought of ending Creature.

 _But that's wrong._

 _ **Oh, god damn it, this morality crap again?**_

 _Not exactly… He will die, don't worry… but this isn't me killing Creature. This is me putting Jonathon Wine to rest._

"This is not an act of vengeance." She reminded herself aloud, speaking as though in mantra. "This is not an act of hate. I do not kill. I am the Reaper. And it is simply your time." After a pause, she added, "in fact… you are long overdue."

She carefully pulled the burn rounds off her belt, as she could only use her right hand. After realizing she didn't have her excess strength as her aura, and subsequently her semblances, were completely drained away, she slammed the ends onto the debris, knocking the tops off. She poured the burn dust into his mouth and held it closed with her hand. With that last shred of aura, she set the dust off. Holding his mouth shut, the fire had only one way to go. Bypassing his shield entirely, up to his brain.

"I hope you find the peace, in death, that I stole from your life. Goodbye, Cre-… Goodbye, Johnathon Wine."

There seemed to be something in his still living eye, if only for a fraction of a second… something resembling contentment and… gratitude? And then it faded, along with the rest of him. At long last, Creature was gone.

His cybernetic eye suddenly lit up and projected a hologram, tinted blue by the glass of the lens. Reaper watched with avid curiosity at the hologram took shape… into the grizzled, wild face of Dr. Verdant Stein. "Password Query. What did you claim to be when you first came to my door?"

Reaper raised an eyebrow at this strange turn of events. _Is it really vocally password locked?_ She decided to give it a go. "I claimed to be a big game hunter, with a friend who had a mangled leg."

"This is within acceptable accuracy of predicted answers. Beginning playback." The holo-Stein responded. "Hello Reaper. If this message is playing, then the subject's brain activity has ceased to zero for a period of ten seconds. Layman's term, Creature is dead, and my hypothesis accurate. Nothing I can do to Creature can help him beat you. I'm leaving this message because I know Torchwick will kill me when I'm finished re-fitting the subject. I'm in no shape to outrun him, but I can still have my revenge. Do not get me wrong, I'm only helping you find him because it is convenient. I don't like you, Reaper. I don't like the law. But I do like being clever, and Torchwick underestimates my cleverness. Creature's Blue eye is built to work independently from his body to project a map of surrounding areas. On this map, a blip will show, indicating the direction and proximity of a tracking device I've snuck onto Roman's precious cane. Trust me, he will never find it. Happy hunting, Reaper."

The transmission cut out as Reaper heard footsteps approaching. She managed to pry the eye out and pocket it before Weiss and the Soldiers found her. She didn't trust that Winter would even consider letting them go if she knew of the map. And she wanted to find Torchwick herself.


	19. Overwhelmed

When Neo arrived, Reaper was sitting off the bumper of a para-medic truck being checked over by a doctor. She ran to her dark lover's side, worried. When she got close she could make out that the paramedic was looking over Reaper's left hand. A hand that was bloody, mangled, and bent in odd places. Reaper spotted Neo when she started to visibly freak out. "Oh shit… Doc, can you hurry? I need to comfort my Ice Cream girl."

"Ice Cream?" He said, confused until he saw Neo himself.

"No, Reaper." Weiss interrupted. "I'll speak to Neo, you need to stay here with the doctor."

"Fine, _mooom._ " Reaper complained. She didn't like doctors and hospitals any more now than when she was a criminal.

Weiss started leading Neo away. "Either she has a high pain tolerance, or the anesthetics hit quickly."

 _Maybe both…_ Neo thought as they walked. She knew at least one of those was true.

"Neo, I would love to comfort you, but I also know it's better to be honest. It's about as bad as it looks." Weiss confessed.

Neo looked back towards Reaper, who was arguing with the doctor about more painkillers. Worry shot through her again. 'What happened?' She signed.

"That idiot of yours thought it would be a good idea to take the whole building down on top of Creature. Except, she didn't chart her own escape. I guess we're lucky it's only one hand… but it is her left hand…"

Neo looked back to the heiress, puzzled.

"What, you don't know?" Weiss asked, genuinely surprised. "She's left handed. I know she fights with both, but her left hand is her forward hand."

Neo's eyes widened. Not only could she not fight with her scythe anymore, but maybe not at all either? _No, she'll fight. We won't be able to stop her if she wants to try._ Neo realized, almost frowning.

"The doctor should have his assessment by now. Let's go see what he says." Weiss waved Neo to follow her back to Reaper.

"So, what's the damage?" Reaper asked the doctor.

"How much aura do you have left?" He asked.

"None. Bone dry. You'd be lucky to get a jog out of me, and I doubt I can even spark. Even Ember can't seem to speak without effort right now." Reaper answered.

"Well, you will probably need a full eight hours of rest to get any of it back at this point." He said.

"And my hand?" Reaper asked impatiently.

"Without Aura, your body is healing in a more natural process. Unfortunately, it isn't shifting your bones back where they need to be. There is something we can do, but the only reason I have any belief it will work as we hope it will is because of your incredibly massive aura reserve." The doctor replied.

"Elaborate?" Reaper told him.

"We can surgically set your bones where they need to be. When your aura is back at strength, it will have an easier time repairing the rest of the damage." The doctor replied patiently.

"What will happen if we try to let it heal as is?" Weiss asked, out of curiosity.

"As I said," the doctor explained, "her hand is starting to heal as a normal, aura-less person would, which isn't setting the bones where they need to be. By the time her aura is at strength and starting to heal, it would be too late to set her bones naturally. Her hand would be disfigured forever. And on top of that, even with surgery, I can do nothing to guarantee any nerve damage would be reversed."

"Surgery it is." Reaper nodded. "How long will the recovery be?"

"Likely months." The doctor answered grimly.

"Shit…" The scythe master dropped her head.

"Maybe sooner, depending on your aura. I mean, you haven't screamed once… the amount of damage here, I'm surprised your conscious." The doctor continued his assessment as Professor Ozpin walked up behind him.

"Not the first time I've been broken." Reaper told him. "It is the worst, though…"

"Excuse me." The Headmaster announced his arrival. "Could I speak to Reaper alone for a moment?"

"She needs to go to a hospital as soon as possible, sir. Especially if she wants that surgery." The doctor advised.

"This will only be a moment." Ozpin smiled. Everyone filed out and Ozpin focused his attention on his student. "I've seen Creature. I'm sure you can see why I'm here."

Reaper's face turned stern. "You know Creature. I couldn't hold back. It was the only way."

Ozpin sighed. "I had thought we developed a little more mutual trust than that by now… Reaper, if you want me to help you sell that story to the council, I want to hear the truth. Why is Johnathon Wine dead?"

Reaper smiled and shook her head. Of course Ozpin saw right through her. "Johnathon Wine died a long time ago. What I did today was free a dead man of his pain. He wasn't him anymore, Oz. There was no going back."

Ozpin was relieved to hear Reaper's actions came from a place of compassion, however dark they were. He was also slightly amused to see Reaper had apparently adopted using Qrow's old nickname for him. _They really are family._ "Thank you. Now I believe you have an appointment with an operating table. I will excuse you from combat class for as long as you are healing. Not that you need combat training anyways." He joked as he left. While she had a short moment alone, Reaper looked over Creature's eye, a plan forming in her mind.

* * *

Team WBRN huddled in the Ambulance, all managing to convince the driver to let them ride with Reaper to the hospital. It was a little cramped, until Blake decided to ride in the front seat instead of the back and Neo just hopped on the stretcher with Reaper, being careful of her hand. Weiss noted that Reaper seemed deep in thought.

"Hey, what's on your mind?" She asked her convicted team mate.

Reaper thought about her words carefully. "We need to find Torchwick. Soon. Before Winter can take us off the case entirely."

Neo looked up with worry on her eyes, pointing at Reaper's hand.

"She's right." Weiss nodded, giving words to Neo's thoughts. "You're in no condition to continue this."

"I have to find him." Reaper deadpanned.

Weiss hesitated with her response, not sure she wanted to hear the answer. "Why does it have to be you?"

"So that I can end this." Reaper answered cryptically.

"I can't let you do that." Weiss told her. "You came back to Beacon to become a huntress, a better person. You've already killed Creature, and Roman doesn't have to die."

"And then he'll just get out again…" the scythe master scolded, "and keep coming after us… keep hurting people… he may not be the most perceptive person ever, but he smarter than any of us give him credit for."

"We have no idea where to find him. He hasn't even shown his face since he let Creature loose. It looks like he's in hiding right now, and you could use this time to recover." Weiss argued.

"That gives him time to recover too!" Reaper shouted. "And plan! And I refuse to just let that happen!"

"We don't even know how to start looking." Blake intervened from the front. "The notes were a bust. They're coded, but they translate into some schematic for an 'aerosol tracking spray'."

"I know how to find him." Reaper told them.

Weiss's eyes narrowed. "How?"

The ex-criminal shook her head. "Only if you agree to go after him with me."

"That's ridiculous." Weiss scoffed.

"Then I'll go on my own!" Reaper told her. "Even with my hand, do you think you can stop me!?"

 _SLAP!_

Reaper was stunned. Her face had a giant red mark on it now, in the shape of Neo's petite hand. The colorful girl looked over the black clothed girl with a strong mixture of concern and anger. She couldn't believe _she_ had to be the one keeping _Reaper_ sane right now. Her eyes narrowed, letting them speak for her.

"Neo…" Reaper spoke calmly, almost sorrowful. "I have to… if he gets back out, and I could have stopped him… if he hurts people, kills them… hurts you… I can't let that happen."

"Reaper." Weiss spoke softly. "You need to let this fear of yours go. You didn't even know Valerie Hope, but she was a respected soldier in the Atlas Military. I doubt she would appreciate being the reason you start killing again."

Reaper froze. She hadn't even realized the root of this turn herself until just now. She debated ending Roman's life, sure… but it wasn't until that news, news of someone dying when she never had to, that pushed Reaper over the edge. Valerie Hope would still be alive if it wasn't for the scythe master's decisions. Reaper hung her head. She stared at her hand, bloody and mangled. She was so concerned with bringing down Creature, she didn't even consider her own wellbeing. And now she was paying the price.

"You're right…" Reaper eventually stated. "I've been letting myself go, over something that has never affected me in the past. I'm sorry…" She looked up. "But even so… I feel that Winter isn't serious about this investigation. I feel like she only came to confront me, and not Torchwick. I still want a shot to bring him down. Just one shot, Weiss. Please."

"No." Weiss answered, "I can't let you do that."

"Why not?" Reaper questioned.

"Because I've let you go too far off book already," Weiss explained, "We'll be lucky enough if Winter doesn't come down on you for chasing Creature. If we go off on our own to catch Torchwick, she _will_ find a way to use that against you. She's not Ozpin or Detective Black, she _wants_ you to go to jail. I'm not going to let you jeopardize all your progress with the Rehabilitative Custody. That's all without even mentioning your hand…"

"So, we're just going to let him go?" Reaper argued.

"Winter will find him," Weiss stated with confidence, "Whether or not it was a play to confront you, she still accepted the job."

"Yeah, I'll be really _**fucking**_ surprised if she actually tries to catch him…" Reaper fumed.

"If we give her your info on how to find him, she'll be hard pressed not to," Blake pointed out.

"Reaper, we're trying to help you here," Weiss assured, "If you go after him, Winter will take you down. God forbid you _kill_ him in the process, people will have ammunition against the entire Rehabilitative Custody program."

"Yeah, right," Reaper argued, "People are already forgetting I was the first case, especially since Neo won the tournament."

"They'll remember real quick if you make headlines like that," Blake pointed out, "trust me. If people want to step on you, they'll take every authority they can grab to do so."

"We can't let you pursue Torchwick," Weiss reiterated, "I'm sorry."

Neo reached out and gingerly took Reaper's left hand, her eyes full of concern. _You need to fix this, too,_ her multi-colored gaze said.

Reaper knew at this point she wasn't going to turn the decision around this time. Even Neo didn't want to chase Torchwick anymore, and she was the only other one who might have a proper, personal reason to. With a deep sigh, Reaper conceded a short "Fine."

"Good," Weiss nodded, "Now, about you figuring out how to find Torchwick?"

"I think I want to keep that close to my chest," Reaper resisted.

"Well, it has to be an object," Blake deduced. Everyone gave her a stare. "She didn't have this new information until after her fight with Creature. If it was pure knowledge, she would have had it before then and used it to find him in the first place."

"It's not like Creature has ever been in _any_ state to offer knowledge," Weiss agreed.

"Exactly," Blake nodded, "It's something she got from Creature, so it can't be some extra knowledge. It has to be some kind of object."

"Well?" Weiss held out her hand.

Reaper refused with an adamant glare.

"We can always have you searched?" Weiss reminded her.

Reaper scowled and pulled the eye out, slamming it into Weiss's hand.

"Creature's eye?" Weiss looked over the object, "How does it work?"

" **Sorry, Weiss…** " Ember spoke. Apparently, Reaper had gotten pissed to the point of her other half taking over. " **There wasn't an instruction manual you could pat down out of us.** "

Neo frowned at Ember after this exchange. It made it clear she still wanted to try and find a way to chase Torchwick herself, despite it obviously being a very bad idea. Sometimes she wondered if Reaper didn't enjoy the criminal life more than she let on… she seemed to have a harder time shedding her criminal tendencies than Neo herself, and the petite mute was at it for far longer.

* * *

A nurse walked down the hospital corridors. Black hair, red lipstick, standard outfit. She blended in excellently with the rest of the work force and walked with such purpose anyone who saw her would assume she was already on task. Even the doctors would not pull her aside. The only thing she did of any suspect was look at a photo in her possession, though she made sure to do so when no one was looking at her.

She passed by the observation room of a current operation, finally finding where she was supposed to go. Inside the operating room, a woman under anesthesia was having her hand heavily worked on. This had to be her, the woman in the nurse's picture. It would be a few more hours until the girl was let out, so she moved on to find things to pretend to do until Reaper was moved into recovery.

Those hours passed quickly, and Reaper was moved into her own room. Hospital hours had already ended, so Reaper was alone for the night. The nurse promptly let herself into the room.

Reaper was awake, fiddling with the cast covering her hand. She noticed the nurse immediately, and something about her felt wrong. Something about her eyes… they weren't always pink, were they? No, Reaper couldn't seem to remember them being anything but yellow. "W-who are you? You're not my nurse." Reaper asked, guarded.

Suddenly, though, she was calmed. Everything seemed alright as she looked into the nurse's eyes. Those strange eyes that were every color and no color all at once. Her irises flexing and shifting, becoming a rainbow phantasmagoria.

" _It's alright,_ " The nurse assured, " _I'm just here to give you a follow up injection. An aura booster if you will._ "

"What…?" Reaper couldn't place her voice. It was as if she forgot it as soon as the nurse stopped talking. "Aura booster…? Doesn't sound right…"

" _Of course it doesn't, this is a dream after all_." The nurse said next.

"Right… of course it is…"

" _One of those short dreams… where you fall right back into darkness and forget about everything in the morning… no matter how hard you try._ " The nurse took Reaper's arm and pushed the black substance within her syringe into her patient's vein.

"That's disappointing…" Reaper spoke absentmindedly, "Your… pretty eyes…"

" _Yes, those you will especially forget,_ " The nurse sounded almost sad, " _Goodbye my friend. The dream is over now._ "

"Right… of course…" Reaper yawned, "I'm… tired… pretty eyes…" The dark woman fell right asleep.

A ditched wig and nurses uniform in a dumpster three streets over would be the only evidence that anyone was ever there, if anyone had noticed the girl long enough to begin with. But who would even bother questioning a dream?


	20. Reflections

Reaper woke up in the recovery room several hours later. She had a strange dream, though she couldn't remember most of it. The last image she had was of a nurse… a nurse with all black pits instead of eyes injecting some dark substance into her arm. Which was really strange because she recalled enjoying the dream despite that nightmare fuel. But this image, too, was fleeting, and in mere moments the only thing she had was a vague, unsure idea that she had even _had_ a dream in the first place.

Shaking her head free of her morning grogginess, she examined her cast. It completely covered her left hand, ensuring the area stayed clean and the bones stayed where they belonged. Despite having a perfectly functioning arm above the wrist, she was still provided a sling as per hospital regulations.

There wasn't much to do in the hospital room, especially without use of her left hand. She lounged around waiting for visiting hours to start, because whether it was Neo or Winter who showed up first, at least it would break the monotony. About a half an hour later, her pink and brown lover walked through the door. Neo smiled at Reaper and immediately jumped onto the bed and pulled out a set of markers with a glint in her eye.

Weiss walked in a few moments later, rolling her eyes to the antics. Reaper just shrugged. It wasn't like she had any control over this situation, not without jerking her still-fragile casted hand. She didn't even know what Neo was drawing, the small girl assumedly happy she was the first to get a marker at the cast.

"How are you feeling?" Weiss asked.

 _ **Well, we never got to go after Roman and by now he's holed out who knows fucking where…**_

"We've been better," Reaper translated.

"Well, Winter's on her way here," Weiss warned, "Be ready."

"Ah shit…" Reaper cussed quietly, looking down at Neo's cartoon in-progress. She had just finished drawing a skull with its tongue out and was now setting up to draw something below it.

"Language," Weiss countered off-hand.

"Ah fuck…" Reaper 'corrected' to her team leader's ire.

Winter entered the room moments after, shooting a disapproving glare at Neo huddled on the hospital bed. Or perhaps it was aimed at Reaper, based on pure principle.

"You were instructed to stay in your hotel rooms," Winter scolded.

"We did what we thought we had to do," Weiss defended.

"Let the criminal speak for herself, Weiss," Winter deadpanned, "You obviously trust her enough to let her skirt the terms of her Custody." The older Schnee turned slowly back to the black-clad woman. "Why shouldn't I arrest you right now?"

"For whatever reason you haven't already arrested me before now?" Reaper quickly replied.

Winter's nostrils flared at the snide remark. "You are long overdue for a modicum of _respect_."

"I'm sorry, weren't you supposed to add ' _criminal scum'_ to the end of that remark about 'respect'?" Reaper continually used responses full of snark.

"You have to save face," Weiss realized.

Winter maintained her poker face, which was ironically how Reaper saw it _was_ a poker face. She wasn't immediately telling anyone off, because as much as she lied to herself about Reaper's rehabilitation, Winter didn't often lie to other people.

"Oh my god…" Reaper laughed, "I saved your men. They were in over their heads, and I _saved_ them!"

"I still could have you arrested," Winter warned, walking up to Weiss and holding out her hand. "The device, please." Weiss somewhat reluctantly handed over Creature's eye, unsure of what her older sister was planning. "So, Reaper, tell me how this works?"

"Why do you even want to know?" Reaper's eyebrow cocked, "Wouldn't it be easier to stay here and hawk-eye me if you don't catch Roman?"

"I have a job to do, something your kind may not be accustomed with," Winter stated professionally, "And if you don't cooperate, I'll have no choice but to arrest you for obstruction of justice."

"This is too far, Winter!" Weiss jumped up.

"No, Weiss, this woman is dangerous, and spends her entire time in the company of _my little sister!_ " Winter shouted. "I think I'm a little justified. You assume I'm fixated on some revenge because she almost killed me? I'm trying to stop her before she has the chance to do the same to you!"

"I'm not going to hurt her, Winter," Reaper argued.

"I hope you'll excuse the fact that _I don't trust you_ ," Winter rounded back on her, "You're constantly assuring my sister your slight against me was 'unintentional'."

"I trust her," Weiss stated, "I was wrong about your motive, but it doesn't change the fact that you don't see how Reaper has grown."

"She still uses the name of a murderer," Winter pointed out.

Neo capped her markers, finally turning her attention to the conversation in the room only to immediately stick her tongue out at Winter. Winter thankfully ignored her.

Reaper sat back a little, dissecting the situation. "This whole gambit is banking on the fact I don't tell you how to use the eye," she realized, "what happens if I do?"

"You don't get your chance to chase Torchwick yourself," Winter told her haughtily.

"And you don't have an excuse to stay in Vale and keep an eye on Weiss," Reaper called her bluff. "It's voice activated, which brings up a map that shows where Roman currently is."

"Roman hasn't found the tracker?" Winter questioned disbelievingly.

"Stein is very clever," Reaper nodded.

Winter looked down at the eye. "On!... Activate!... Do something!"

"On," Reaper called out, and the eye sprang to life, projected a holo-image with a blinking light somewhere southwest of the current map range. "I had to answer a question to first activate it. Voiceprint is a logical next step for a mind like Stein's. That or a button, but there isn't one there."

"Hm…" Winter stared down the map until it closed itself, after which she pocketed it and began to leave to room.

"I'm surprised you actually told her," Weiss remarked after her sister left.

"She can't arrest me for obstruction, because you witnessed I didn't obstruct," Reaper explained, "and I'm betting she doesn't want to catch Torchwick as much as she wants to stay in Vale to watch over you."

"Oh…" Weiss realized Reaper was probably right. "You still want to chase Torchwick?"

"I don't know," Reaper admitted, surprising Weiss.

"We still can't," Weiss pointed out, "not without giving Winter ammo against you."

"I know…" Reaper assured, "But maybe he'll come to me. Or maybe Winter will actually go and catch him." She looked down at her cast and noticed Neo had finished her drawing. The skull was apparently busy licking away at a cone of Neapolitan ice cream. "Really?"

Neo winked.

Weiss walked over and stared at the cartoon. "And just like that, the tension of the room is broken. You two are disgusting."

* * *

A few days later, Weiss and Blake were waiting in Vale's primary airship station. They had spent the last two days organizing today, and were both nervous about everything that could go wrong. Thankfully things started great, as Blake's parents Kali and Ghira arrived first just as planned. Weiss was incredibly nervous about meeting Blake's parents for the first time.

"Hello, Blake!" Kali greeted cheerfully. Blake went to embrace her family, then waved for Weiss to approach.

"So, this is the Schnee girl." Ghira stated, his voice bold.

"Maybe not for very much longer…" Weiss told him.

"So I've heard." He responded in kind. "I don't trust the Schnee name. But I do trust my daughter. So, we'll see how the rest of this plays out."

"Yes sir." Weiss nodded.

"Oh come now. I think it's obvious she doesn't share her family's ideologies." Kali defended, gesturing towards Weiss and Blake's intertwined hands. "Be fair."

"I am, Kali." Ghira insisted.

Weiss's scroll buzzed. Weiss nodded to Blake. "My father is coming."

"Right. Mom, dad." Blake led her family a ways away. Out of sight, but within faunus earshot.

Weiss waiting in the center of the hall for her father's arrival. She didn't have to wait long. "Hello, daughter."

Weiss turned to face him. "Hello, father."

"I don't think I need to ask how things went." Jacques told her. "Ignoring your superior's orders, putting yourself in unnecessary danger… I think that criminal is starting to compromise your duty."

"Better than compromising my morals." Weiss shot back, taking Jacques by surprise.

"You speak of morals while you parade around with that _thing?_ " He shot back.

"Excuse me!?" Weiss shouted. "I thought you reached an understanding with Blake!"

"I understand that she's an animal! And you can do better than that. And you will, for the sake of your future." Jacques warned.

"No." Weiss deadpanned. "I'm not your slave anymore. My life is mine. I'm staying at Beacon. I'm staying with my girlfriend. And I am leaving Atlas. For good."

"You and what money?" Jacques goaded.

"And that's exactly the root of the problem here. You think that is all that matters. I've had enough of you _and_ your blood money." Weiss spun on her heel and walked away. "You won't be at the top forever. Someone is coming to knock you down. And they're closer than you think."

A stunned Jacques Schnee was left in the middle of the airport while Weiss found Blake and her parents again. Ghira seemed genuinely surprised at what he heard. "So… You're broke?"

"No. Reaper helped keep some money using some laundering techniques she picked up. It's not much, and it's not for me. It's startup money." Weiss told them.

"To mine. You want to use our secret mine to compete with your father." Ghira realized.

"No. I want your permission to utilize it to redeem my name. I want to help the faunus, and I want the world to see what my father really is." Weiss picked her words carefully.

"And to do that, you want to go into business with me?" Ghira asked

"No." Weiss shook her head. "I don't want to be a 'businesswoman'. I've seen enough 'businesspeople' in my life." She took Blake's hand to emphasis her next point. "I want this to be a family thing… if that's not too bold of me to say."

 _Faunus, a Schnee's family?_ Ghira nodded. "I think you and I may get along after all. Come home with us for the rest of your break. We have a lot to discuss."

* * *

Neo woke up one morning to see Reaper had left her hospital bed. She wandered the grounds looking for her until she came across a nearby graveyard. Here, she found Reaper standing in front of one of the headstones. She walked up to her lover's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. _What's up?_

"Hey, Neo." Reaper said, staring on at the headstone. It read Valerie Hope. "She apparently came from Vale. She moved to Atlas to join the military, but her family is here. Her wishes were to be buried here if she fell in the line of duty."

Neo looked on at the headstone herself. Reaper continued speaking. "I know nothing about her. But I used her to justify my bloodlust… I'm starting to think Winter is right about me."

Neo looked up and frowned.

Reaper seemed lost in thought for the next few minutes. Eventually, she spoke up again. "Neo, I've been thinking a lot the past week… about my role here. What I'm doing. When we graduate, exit the program… what do you want to do?"

'I want to do whatever you want to do.' Neo signed. 'As long as I'm with you, I don't care.'

"But what if I don't know?" Reaper asked her. "Neither of us have actually thought about what we're doing with our lives. Are we just going to hunt? Place to place, journey to journey…"

'We'll figure it out when we have to.' Neo signed.

"I don't know if that's good enough… I'm scared." Reaper admitted. "Not scared that I'll regress to what I was… I'm scared that I won't even try to resist the regression."

Neo looked up at Reaper with a stern face. 'I'll still be there, no matter what. I'll push you in the right direction.'

"You? You come from the same place I do… you kinda pushed me to become Reaper, Remember?" Reaper smiled and shook her head.

Neo shook her head. 'At first I only came to Beacon for you. But the longer I stay, the more I enjoy it. I love being able to walk down the street without worrying about police. I love having true friends and not worrying about them betraying me for money. I want to be a huntress, Reaper. And I want to be one with you.'

Reaper and pulled the girl close with her good arm. "Thank you, Neo… I have no idea what I would do without you… I… I need you. So don't go now."

Neo smiled and shook her head. _Don't worry. I won't_.

"It's… it's you… Reaper Rose…"

The girls turned to the new voice, a young boy. They noted he was being watched by a man with a badge and a gun. "Who are you?" Reaper asked.

He walked up next to them, looking at the headstone. "Valerie Hope. She was a strong girl. She wasn't always a good one. When she was a teenager, she fell into a bad crowd." Reaper decided to shut up and see where this went. "She had a brother who idolized her. A stupid little brother who followed her wherever she went.

"One day, she looked back and saw he followed her into the Underworld. That was her wake up call. She tried to be a better role model, even joining the military is Atlas. But by then, her brother found someone else to follow. Someone who left him for dead and let him be arrested…"

Reaper looked between the boy and the guard, putting the connections together.

"I finally realized what Valerie was trying to do, too little too late. But an opportunity came, in the form of a new role model. A girl who was a criminal, who turned herself in to be a huntress." The boy looked at Reaper with a smile. "If I can go one more week without getting in trouble, I'll have gone six months with good behavior. Then, I qualify for Rehabilitative Custody. I'm going to apply for Beacon."

"You're her brother." Reaper deduced.

"Matthew Hope." The boy smiled and held out his hand. "It's a true pleasure to meet you, Miss Reaper."

She took it and laughed. "I'm not a good role model, Matthew."

"But you pulled yourself out. Found a way to become a better person again." He argued.

"This girl's the real role model," Reaper draped her good arm around Neo, "I'm not even good at 'being a better person'. She keeps me straight."

"You still started the Rahab Custody program?" Matthew argued.

"I was the trial. She's the face of it all," Reaper told him, "She even won the Vytal tournament!"

"Wow, really!" Matthew's eyes went wide, "I wasn't able to watch it…"

"Oh, yeah," Reaper smiled, "My girl kicks ass!"

"Cool…" Matthew nodded. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I'm, umm…" Reaper avoided looking at Valerie's grave, not wanting to suffer that awkward conversation, "We're waiting for my own 'warden' to pick us up."

"In a graveyard?" Matthew asked.

"Sure?"

"Hey girls!" Taiyangs voice rang across the yard, "There you are!"

"Oh thank god…" Reaper stated under her breath.

"Wait!" Matthew called out as Reaper and Neo turned to walk away. "I'll see you both at Beacon!"

"You better make it, Matthew!" Reaper smirked, "God knows this program needs better cases to prove it than me!"

"You're doing better than you think, Reaper!" Matthew called back.

Reaper settled in the backseat of the car with Neo, smiling at the interaction. It was a nice contrast to her interaction with Winter and made her think, just maybe, Reaper could put her dark past behind her after all. By the end of the day, she found herself looking forward to the start of the next year.

* * *

Leid Kale stepped into the main hall of Salem's castle, looking up to the dark queen and politely waiting for permission to speak. Salem smiled, finding she was quite fond of the stark contrast to Tyrian. "Is it done?" She asked her subject.

"It is, my queen," Kale meekly replied, much to Salem's pleasure.


	21. A New Day

Act 4  
Fall

Nighttime, on the rooftops of Vale, a chase ensued. Two ex-criminals turned huntresses in training were chasing a valued target. Reaper Rose, formerly known as Ruby Rose, as well as Neopolitan were hot on the heels of Roman Torchwick.

 _ **Finally,**_ spoke the voice inside Reaper's head, Ember.

This moment was months in the making. After being told to lay off by Winter, of course they didn't leave it alone. But that didn't matter. None of it did, not even the events leading here. Because this was the end. She had him now. And Torchwick must have known this by now as well, he seemed to be panicking.

The pair managed to run the man up against a wall. His choices were to try and jump down 20 stories and likely break something vital, or try to run through the huntresses. Or give himself up, of course. Reaper's smile couldn't be killed as she stopped up in front of him.

"I have you now, asshole." The announced proudly.

Roman turned around, unable to keep a smug grin off his face. "Do you now?"

"What are you smiling for?" Reaper asked him. "You're finished!"

Roman only continued to smirk and nodded behind Reaper. Before she could turn around to investigate, she felt a sharp pain to the back of her knee, and then a petite foot struck her across the head, taking her to the ground. Her vision blurred, and by the time it refocused, she saw Neo standing behind Torchwick. "Wha… Neo?"

"Sorry, Reaper. Looks like you're not catching me today." Torchwick teased. "Or ever."

"Neo…" Reaper ignored the criminal, looking to her dark lover. "What are you doing? What about us? Keeping me in line?"

Neo silently giggled and looked to Reaper like the fallen huntress was stupid. _You really think I wanted_ your _pathetic life?_

"You don't really think she would betray _me_ so easily?" Torchwick shook his head. "She's been in your life for what? Two years? We have an entire criminal life together."

'To be fair, it was fun while it lasted.' Neo signed. 'But now that Roman is out, why wouldn't I return to the life I truly love?'

"Neo…" Reaper felt a different kind of pain. One she wasn't sure she was still capable of experiencing. "Don't… please… I need you…"

Another silent giggle. 'Need me? You _are_ pathetic.' Neo placed her heel on Reaper's neck. 'You were a toy to me, nothing more. And now I've outgrown you.' She concluded her sentence with a sharp twist of her heel…

* * *

… and Reaper woke up in a cold sweat. "A nightmare… just a nightmare…" She shakily spoke to herself. Reaper took a look at her surroundings, re-orienting herself with reality. She was safe in her father's home on Patch, with a sleeping, and very naked, Neopolitan in bed next to her. It was only a few weeks since they left Vale, and they hadn't been chasing Roman at all.

Reaper stood and dressed lightly, just enough to walk through the house to the bathroom. She washed her face off in the sink, still trying to forget the nightmare. "What the hell was with that, anyway?"

…

"Ember?"

…

"Humph." Reaper scoffed. "Not like Neo would do that anyway. She wants this. She promised."

 _ **She did spend how long with Torchwick? Why wouldn't a survivalist play the winning side until the time was right?**_

"She speaks!" Reaper proclaimed. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

…

"Fine. Be that way." Reaper scoffed and turned away from the mirror. Ember had been surprisingly quiet lately, barely speaking a word since before Reaper was discharged from the hospital in Vale. What little she did say usually did little to comfort Reaper's thoughts. _It's not really possible… is it?_

Not trusting sleep, Reaper went into the living room and turned on the TV, keeping herself awake by making fun of early morning infomercials. The sun rose sooner than she thought, and a barely dressed Neo was soon waking past her on the way to the kitchen, a look of concern on her face. It wasn't the first time this week she found Reaper dodging sleep for whatever reason.

Reaper sat there, thinking and biting her lip. She decided on a course of action and made her way into the kitchen, waiting for a break in Neo's cooking.

"Hey…" She nervously asked, "can I ask you a stupid question?"

Neo raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"You… want to be here, right? You want to be with me?" Reaper asked her. "You wouldn't return to… y'know?"

The look of return returned to Neo's face. 'Does this have to do with why you're not sleeping?' She signed.

"Just… please answer…" Reaper was visibly nervous.

'Of course I want to be here.' Neo signed leaning across the counter to kiss Reaper. 'Do you really think I would be doing any of this if I didn't want to?'

Reaper returned the kiss, and Neo could feel her relief. "I'm sorry." Reaper told her. "Bad dreams is all. I don't know what's up with me… Breakfast smells good."

Neo smirked and flipped her hair on the way back to the stove. _Of course it does!_

Reaper smiled. _I don't know why we were worried._

…

 _Ember? Come on, admit it! You were just paranoid._

…

 _Ember?_

…

 _Whatever…_

* * *

Weiss was sitting on the porch of Blake's home in Menagerie. The size of the place surprised Weiss. She never expected Blake to belong to the wealthiest faunus family on the island. While she was enjoying herself, she was surprised by a form draping themselves across her back and nuzzling her neck.

"I thought you were still asleep?" Weiss smiled, resting her head on Blake's.

"I think you've lost track of time." Blake told her. "I've been up for a while now. Mom made breakfast."

"Then I suggest we not keep her waiting." Weiss kissed Blake's cheek. "Let's go, love."

The pair made it down to the table where Kali was waiting with a smile on her face. "Hello Weiss, dear!"

"Good morning, Kali." Weiss smiled. She had gotten on first name basis with Blake's mother very quickly. Blake's father took a little longer, but she had gotten there by now. "Where is Ghira?"

"He's in discussion with the elders, about your ideas." Kali told the white swordswoman.

"I see." Weiss was nervous about this. Her entire future and whether she could bring a fight to her father rested on this meeting then. It seemed the entire island was covered in Dust veins just below the surface. To mine them would require the already crowded living spaces to shrink further, or a mass relocation to another area. But Ghira believed Weiss now, thanks mostly to Blake, and Weiss's interaction with her father. He was confident he could use her in his arguments, an ace in the hole.

"Don't worry, Dear." Kali smiled. "I'm sure it will all work out. Now for breakfast!"

The trio enjoyed their meal, and near the end Ghira had come back. He stepped the door with a serious look on his face, but Weiss had come to realize that's pretty much normal. "How did it go?" She asked.

Ghira looked to Weiss. "You're still a student, so you can't begin a business." He answered.

"Well, yeah…" Weiss's face fell.

"However," Ghira continued. "This actually works in our favor. The council plans to petition Mistral for a portion of Anima to create a new kingdom on. Best of all, we plan to do it in a way that keeps our plans for mining Menagerie quiet from Atlas. And they cannot deny the business acumen of a Schnee. By the time you graduate, they will be able to approve your command of the Menagerie mining efforts."

Weiss couldn't believe her ears. Blake spoke her thoughts, "I'm surprised they're risking a Schnee in control of the mine."

"They know my opinion of Schnee's, and trust I would not make such a decision lightly." Ghira told them. "Just focus on your schooling for now. By the time you graduate, the faunus should have their own kingdom, and the island will be free to mine. Besides, the council agrees we need to take some kind of risk, or the faunus will always be socially stagnant. We need to earn true respect."

"That makes sense." Weiss nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Belladonna."

"I told you, you can call me Ghira." The man smiled. "You are helping the faunus in ways most people are afraid to, not to mention you're a Schnee. As long as you don't make me regret trusting you, I will owe you a great debt."

"It's really no bother." Weiss smiled, though she knew one way she might use such a debt. Something involving rings and a certain cat-eared cutie.

"Speaking of school, isn't it back in session in just a week now?" Kali asked.

"Yup. One week, and it's back to the dorm." Weiss answered.

"Back to Reaper and Neo" Blake reminded her, making her girlfriend groan.

"At least it's almost over for them." Weiss admitted. "They've come a long way…"

* * *

The day arrived, and Taiyang waved Reaper and Neo off at the airship station. The pair enjoyed the journey well enough, but Neo noticed something was off about Reaper the whole time. She tried to determine what was wrong, but Reaper wasn't acting out of place. At least, not until they landed on Beacon campus.

"Reaper! Neo!" Blake greeted them both.

"Welcome back! You two stay out of trouble?" Weiss teased.

"Can't really get into trouble on Patch, Weiss." Reaper answered.

Neo raised an eyebrow. 'She means to say we simply enjoyed ourselves.' Neo quickly signed with a smile, and Reaper's face made it look as though she just realized Weiss was only joking.

"Right!" Reaper tried to recover. "And each other." She suggested.

Weiss and Blake shrugged it off, but Neo noticed the small irregularity in the event. She pulled back a little, taking Reaper with her. 'Are you all right?'

"Of course I am!" Reaper answered, a little too quickly. "Why do you ask?"

Neo only raised her eyebrow in response. Something was _definitely_ off. But it seemed Reaper either wasn't willing to tell, or didn't even notice it herself. Neo deeply hoped it was the latter.

"Teaaaam WBRN!" Shouted an excited voice, cutting Neo's thoughts off. Team JNPR had arrived, and went to greet their friends, Nora being the loudest of course. She ran right up to Reaper. "Hey! Hey! How's Ember!? Can we fight!?"

"Nora? Nora!? Calm down!" Reaper had to push the hyper woman off her. "Ember… is fine. How about we save it for Goodwitch's class, huh?"

"Oh, fiiine." Nora kicked the ground, the rest of her team finally catching up.

"Speaking of fighting, how's your hand doing?" Weiss asked.

Reaper flexed her left hand. Underneath her glove was a criss-cross of surgery scars, with one visible on her exposed index finger. She kept her discomfort to herself. "It's fine! I'm ready to fight!"

"Really?" Weiss doubted.

"Yeah!"

Weiss crossed her arms. "Prove it."

"What?" Reaper stalled.

"Prove it. Go ahead, punch me." Weiss called Reaper's bluff.

Reaper hesitated, thinking over her answer. "Are you sure you want _me_ to punch _you_?"

"I'm one year of schooling away from being a fully graduated huntress. My aura can handle one punch, even from you."

Reaper flexed her left fist again, psyching herself up. _You just gotta punch her, and not react to the pain. How much can there be, anyway?_ "Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you!"

The scythe woman wound up and threw her left fist towards Weiss, who flared her aura up at the area of impact to avoid bruising. A few things happened when that fist connected. One, Weiss nearly fell to the ground by the force of it. And two, a red-eyed Reaper nearly fell to her knees as well, gripping her left hand close. It turned out there was a lot more pain than Reaper anticipated.

And for the second time in recent memory, Neo slapped Reaper across the head. Her disappointment was twofold, due to the fact Reaper's hand would take even longer to heal properly now, and the fact that slapping her dark lover was becoming a regular occurrence.

Reaper rubbed her check where Neo hit with a frown. "Not sure I deserved _that_ one…" She pouted.

"So these are the friends that push you forward?" A familiar voice spoke up from behind the group. Reaper turned to face Matthew Hope. "You punch one and get slapped by the other? Those are weird team dynamics…"

"It was a one time thing." Weiss assured.

"Speak for yourself…" Reaper continued to pout.

"And you are?" Blake asked.

"My name is Matthew Hope." He introduced with a short bow.

"Hope?" Weiss asked. "As in Valerie Hope?"

"My sister." He nodded. He turned to smile at Reaper. "I made it!"

"You did." She smiled back. "Now just keep it going."

"You two met before?" Weiss asked, putting the pieces together.

"A few days after my surgery." Reaper answered. "He's here under the Rehabilitative Custody program."

"Is that right?" Weiss smiled. "Good luck to you. You seem like a good kid at heart. Can't be more difficult than these two."

"Hey!" Reaper retorted, followed by Neo flipping Weiss off.

"My point exactly." Weiss continued to smile. "Welcome to Beacon."

* * *

The girls eventually made it to the dorm and decided to settle in. There was one topic burning a hole in Reaper's head, however. One she made bluntly clear the second WBRN was alone in their room.

"So, what are we going to do about Torchwick?" Reaper asked the group.

Weiss appeared uneasy. "There's been no sign of him forever. Winter hasn't seemed to make any progress."

"She has a tracker." Reaper pointed out. "Is she even trying?"

"That… I don't know." Weiss admitted.

Neo clapped her hands to get everybody's attention, and signed, 'I think we should leave it alone for now.'

 _ **Remember the nightmare…**_

Reaper shrugged off Ember's comment, not liking the implications. "What do you mean? Why?"

'We have broken the rules of our Custody so many times now,' Neo pointed out, 'and it's always been overlooked because of the results and Ozpin's help covering us.'

"Winter has a bone to pick with you especially." Blake agreed. "If she learns we're investigating on our own, after she told us explicitly not to, I don't know what even Ozpin could do to help."

 _It makes sense Ember._

 _ **Of course it does. She would plan it that way.**_

 _Now you're just being paranoid._

 _ **Aren't you?**_

"Well, has that really stopped us before?" Reaper asked them.

"I'm letting it stop us now." Weiss told her. "I'm really putting my foot down this time. You two have one school year left before you're free women. I won't let you jeopardize what you have worked so hard to obtain, so close to the end."

Reaper took a deep breath. "Fine. I guess that makes sense. But if he ends up coming after us-"

"We'll discuss it when, and if, it happens." Weiss interjected.

The scythe master nodded and went to the hidden fridge to make her drink. "You want one Neo?"

Neo nodded, and the two sat down with drinks in hand. Reaper raised her. "To finally having one year where we don't get into trouble."

Neo nodded and smiled, looking forward to finally having a peaceful year as a school girl.


	22. Silence

"And you're sure?" Salem spoke into the Seer, currently showing her the almost religiously devout Tyrian.

"Yes, my queen," Tyrian spoke back, "I've narrowed the summer maiden down to an area of about three villiages outside Vacuo."

"Very good," Salem nodded, "keep narrowing the field. I'll send Ms. Lied your way when the time comes."

The Seer left the room, leaving only Salem and her new protégé. Lied Kale looked to her master, silently asking permission to speak. Salem nodded.

"When Tyrian finds the maiden, I am then to kill her and inherit her power?" Kale asked.

"It's more complicated than that," Salem answered, "Simply killing her comprises the possibility of her power _not_ going to yourself." The dark woman stood up and glided alongside the table to her underling. She took out a long white sleeve and showed it to Kale. "This can take her power directly. It was used to some success previously, though the connection was severed about half-way back then. Make sure we get all of it this time."

"Yes, my queen," Kale nodded, taking to sleeve.

"But, there is still some time before we must deal with that," Salem noted. "If you're itching for something to do, there are two individuals who used to work for me. Hazel Rainart and Arthur Watts. Find them, and bring them to me."

Kale nodded once more, and took her leave.

* * *

 _TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP_

The hour was crawling by in Professor Port's class, as it usually did. It wasn't necessarily the most boring class at Beacon, but the teacher's tendency to rant completely off topic did encourage many to sleep. By year four, even Weiss would occasionally catch up with rest rather than stay attentive. It was a well-known fact by now that independently studying out of the book was the _only_ way to pass this class.

Though today, it was difficult for Weiss to sleep. Even though her girlfriend was peacefully snoozing beside her, on the heiress's other side, Reaper was tapping away at the desk with her pen like a particularly hyper woodpecker.

 _TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP_

"Reaper!" Weiss whisper-shouted. "Put down the pen!"

The dark woman scowled, but indeed set the pen down. Weiss enjoyed the blissful silence while it lasted.

 _D-D-D-Drum D-D-D-Drum D-D-D-Drum_

Reaper had started drumming her fingers on the desk. Weiss couldn't exactly tell Reaper to set her hand down, and sighed in defeat.

The lecture droned on, and Weiss stared at the clock. Beside her, she barely noticed Neo writing something down and passing it to Reaper. Reaper picked up her pen to write a response to her dark lover, passing the note back.

The pen didn't leave her hand.

 _TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP_

Weiss growled. "Would you at least, I don't know, quiet it down somehow!"

"Sor-rey, princess…" Reaper grunted.

 _tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap_

Weiss gave a very long sigh. Thoughts of strangling Reaper quickly entered her mind, cut off by the bell.

"And that appears to be all we have time for." Professor Port dismissed the class. "Remember! Your essays are due tomorrow! See you then!"

The class filed out slowly, many people shaking off their naps. Weiss approached the two ex-criminals under her charge. "You two _have_ completed the essay, correct?"

Neo nodded with a big smile.

"Reaper?" Weiss pressed.

"Neo's got it. We're sharing the assignment." Reaper told her.

"The assignment was _Our Favorite Hunts._ " Weiss pointed out. "And you and Neo really haven't been on too many real hunts together. Unless you count chasing Creature and Mimic, which I highly doubt made fond memories."

"We talked to Port about our situation." Reaper told her, notably defensive. "Me and Neo worked on a different kind of prompt, and are turning it in together."

"Oh. I wasn't aware." Weiss remarked.

"No, you just assumed I wasn't working on the essay." Reaper scolded.

"That's not fair." Weiss defended.

"Fair or not, I'm right, aren't I?" Reaper crossed her arms. Weiss didn't have a response. "That's what I thought."

Neo looked on with concern while Reaper stormed away. _Okay, that's enough._ She got the attention of the other two and signed, 'Do you two notice Reaper acting strange?'

"Strange?" Blake asked.

'Angrier?' Neo clarified.

"Reaper? Angry?" Weiss scowled. "Call the fucking presses."

"Weiss!" Blake scolded. "Rather rude delivery, but she has a point, Neo. Ever since the Aura Link, she's always had anger issues."

'But she's been doing a lot better since coming back here.' Neo pointed out.

"I'm sure she's just pent up from not being able to fight." Weiss assured her. "Once her hand finishes healing, you'll see."

Neo wasn't so sure.

* * *

That night Reaper was debating whether she bothered sleeping at all that night. She had been having regular nightmares since before school started back up. She had hardly gotten a full night's sleep since, and her one sure avenue into the depths of her mind had gone inexplicably silent.

 _Ember? Hello?_

…

 _Groan…_

Ruby stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. She wasn't an idiot. Ember wasn't answering, and all of her nightmares had a common theme. Her 'friends' betraying her. Countless times she had watched Neo join Torchwick, or Weiss arrest her, or even Blake simply turn her back on her. And worst of all, every scenario made some sort of sick sense.

Whatever her and Neo had, she was working with Torchwick far longer, and it was obvious she enjoyed that life far more than Reaper did while it lasted. And with Weiss, the dark woman had constantly undermined her authority and drove the team down paths that were technically in violation of Reaper's custody. If the white swordswoman wanted, she could have her arrested in an instant. As far as Blake, Reaper didn't have many interactions with her, and the faunus would definitely side with Weiss if it came down to it.

Reaper didn't know what this meant, but it had her terrified. Was it Ember showing her these things? Did she have a reason to? What was she trying to say? Fear of what the truth could be kept Reaper quiet.

With a deep sigh, she decided sleep wasn't worth the nightmares. She left the bathroom, lazily dressed in the latex dress and stockings with the Beacon uniform shoes, and decided to go on a midnight walk. Neo heard the door shut and turned over to look around the dorm. She knew Reaper didn't make it to bed, but this was the first time the dark woman left the room entirely. Something strange was going on, Neo was sure of it now. And the colorful lover didn't like it one bit.

* * *

Reaper wandered onto the roof of the school, lost in her thoughts. Those thoughts weren't any more comforting than her nightmares, but she couldn't seem to silence them.

"What am I doing here?" Reaper whispered to herself. "Is this really where I belong?"

" _EEIIII_!" A shriek from off to the side made Reaper jump. She whipped around to face Nora.

"Jesus, you've got a voice than can shatter glass…" Reaper noted.

Nora seemed relieved once Reaper spoke. "I almost didn't recognize you without your hood… You look like a ghost! Were you always that pale?"

"What are you doing up here? It's past midnight." Reaper asked her.

"I could ask you the same thing." Nora pointed out.

Reaper thought for a moment. "Fair enough." She answered. "I guess I have too many thoughts keeping me awake."

"Me too." Nora nodded. "Or… well… mainly one thought."

"I see." Reaper nodded. Nora looked over her friend expectantly. Reaper returned a confused gaze. "Am… I suppose to ask what's wrong…?"

"Never mind…" Nora shook her head.

"No, you obviously want to talk about it." Reaper tried to recover. "What's wrong?"

Nora had a mental debate whether to continue the conversation. It was true that for a moment, she was looking forward the letting things off her chest, but Ruby wasn't very good with people, and she hasn't seen anything to suggest Reaper was much better.

"Well… It's about Ren." She decided to go through with it.

"Are you two together yet?" Reaper asked bluntly.

"WHAT!?" Nora shouted, clapping her hands over her mouth. In a much quieter voice, she mumbled, "Is it that obvious…?"

"Semi-successful criminal here." Reaper tapped her own head. "Observant is kind of required."

"Maybe that's what I need to do." Nora pouted. "Make Ren a criminal for a day."

"Wait, so… he doesn't know?" Reaper asked her.

Nora shook her head. "I keep waiting for something to happen… something that just makes it click…"

"Have you tried talking to him?" Reaper. "Neo was never exactly subtle. In fact, she kinda stalked me."

Nora panicked. "What!? No! I could never… What if he doesn't feel the same way, what if it ruins our friendship? I can't just do that, I don't want to lose him!"

Reaper raised an eyebrow. "You ever consider he's waiting for you like you're waiting for him?"

"He's not a coward like that… he thinks everything through way better than I do." Nora replied.

"Emotions can do funny things with your heart." Reaper lamented, thinking on how her own was in turmoil with all her nightmares and doubts.

Nora took the advice to heart. "What about you?"

"Huh?"

"What's keeping you awake?" Nora wanted to return the favor.

"A lot of things, and nothing at all." Reaper answered vaguely.

"Oh." Nora shifted uncomfortably. And awkward silence fell over them. "Well… I think I'm going to go try sleep again."

"Right." Reaper stood still while Nora made for the roof-access door. "Hey!"

Nora turned back, expecting Reaper to open up.

"Look," Reaper began, "The universe doesn't care so much about any one person to make things happen for them. If you want something to change, you have to make it change on your own."

Nora was half disappointed to not hear what was bugging her friend, but also very glad to hear Reaper cared. She nodded and continued inside, leaving the dark woman to her thoughts once again.

 _The universe doesn't care about any one person_

A lot of good things happened to Reaper in recent history. Almost suspiciously so. Neo having her, Weiss accepting her, Beacon taking her back… All this lent credence to her doubts. How could Neo truly care for her like this? How could Weiss brush off everything Reaper had done, especially when it came to ignoring her authority since her return? How could Ozpin put his career on the line for one little girl? It was more than implausible… It shouldn't have even happened. Yet, it seems to have worked out just like that…

 _Or has it? The universe doesn't care…_

' _You don't really think she would betray me so easily? She's been in your life for what? Two years? We have an entire criminal life together…'_

 _Does anyone really care?_

* * *

Neo woke the next morning to see no evidence that Reaper ever made it to bed. The dark woman was already showered and in her school uniform, drinking deeply from a mug. Neo wondered what cup of coffee she was on at this point. Running purely off of artificial caffeine was not a good way to operate. 'Why aren't you sleeping?' Neo signed to her.

"Just thoughts keeping me awake." Reaper answered.

'What's wrong?' Neo pressed.

"Nothing." Reaper finished her mug and moved to the door. "I'm going to breakfast."

Neo raised her eyebrow. _Did that really just happen? We usually go together…_ She frowned, hoping this wasn't just the beginning of whatever distance Reaper seemed intent on building.

The small girl got ready quickly and left for the cafeteria, trying to catch up with Reaper. When she got there, Reaper was on her way out with a piece of toast in her hand. Neo looked to Blake, the question burning in her eyes.

"She said she wasn't very hungry and that she wanted to wait in the classroom." Blake told her. "Is everything okay?"

Neo cast her eyes to the ground and shrugged. She knew there was something wrong with Reaper, but how can she find out when the woman won't share the same space as her? The thoughts and subsequent overthinking killed her appetite, and she had barely eaten a scrap by the time the bell rung.

"What's up with Neo?" Weiss asked Blake on route to the classroom. "She usually eats more than any of us. Kind of makes me jealous, honestly. How does she stay skinny?"

"Reaper's being distant." Blake told her.

"Really?" Weiss was surprised. "I'm sure it's nothing."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "You're not the _least_ bit concerned?"

"Of course I am!" Weiss defended. "It's just… How many school years have passed for us without some incident?"

"Well… none." Blake admitted. "But hoping that doesn't happen this time shouldn't blind you to actual issues."

Weiss sighed. "The thing is, I'm not sure there's an actual issue here. She's acting a little weird, _maybe_ , but there's no evidence it's anything world changing. Not this time…"

"I guess you're right." Blake admitted slowly.

"Just let Neo handle it." Weiss told her girlfriend. "She's closer to that walking enigma than anyone will ever be."

But it didn't seem like it would be so easy for the ice cream girl. She was only a few steps ahead of her team mates, and the bell rang the second they entered the room. On top of that, Reaper maintained a dead stare ahead and a careful silence, proving one other fact. It was easy to ignore a mute.


	23. Paranoid Break

Another quiet afternoon in WBRN dorm. The more weeks passed without incident, the more it truly seemed that this was to be a peaceful year for the four girls. At the moment, Reaper was studying on the couch while Weiss worked at the desk. Blake was out and Neo was taking a bath after a particularly rough combat class with Goodwitch. Reaper, of course, enjoyed one of her drinks while she worked.

The dark woman leaned back and shook her hand off. It was tough on her injury, writing for long periods of time. She was closer to recovered than not, but she still wasn't quite combat ready. Reaper stood to return her glass to the hidden fridge. When she got close, something happened that she didn't quite expect. Weiss spoke to her.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" Weiss asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Yeah, why?" Reaper replied coldly.

"You just… Been really quiet and reserved the past few days." Weiss answered. _When you're not yelling at us._ "And you seem pale."

"Have you ever seen me?" Reaper pointed out.

"I mean paler than usual. You're almost white as paper." Weiss countered.

"So what?" Reaper asked her.

"So, we've really been concerned about you lately. You're acting strange."

"And?"

"And…" Weiss seemed hesitant to broach the next subject. "And I want you to come with me to the med-wing. Just to be sure."

Reaper stared at Weiss, her eyes tinging red. "No."

"Reaper, please!" Weiss pleaded. "Just to put us at ease!"

"You know how much I hate hospitals, Weiss." Reaper told her. "Don't you think if there was something wrong with me I would let you know? Or fix it myself?"

"Please!" Weiss begged. "Everyone's worried. Neo's worried."

Reaper's argument stuck in her throat. "Fine. Lead the way, fearless leader."

It didn't take them long to reach the med-wing. Reaper figured if she just got this over with, everyone would stop bugging her. The girls made it to the door, and Weiss held back, letting Reaper in first. The dark woman noticed something off about the med-wing.

Perhaps it had something to do with the armed men in black suits.

"Weiss, what's going on?" Reaper turned to ask her leader.

"I'm sorry Reaper. But I've had enough." Weiss answered.

"Weiss…" Reaper warned.

"You keep breaking the law. You're still so angry. You're not getting better. Even Neo has made more progress than you have. You're not getting better, so I'm stopping you before you get worse." Weiss declared.

Reaper growled and lunged toward Weiss, but she was quickly held down by the officers sent to arrest her. "Fuck all of you! Especially you, Weiss! I can't believe a trusted yo-" Reaper was struck by one of the guards…

* * *

… and shot awake on the couch. She quickly caught her breath and reoriented with reality. Her notes were in front of her, by an empty glass. Weiss still studied at the desk, and the others were still out. The heiress seemed too involved in her own papers to notice Reaper's sleeping troubles.

Reaper rested her face in her hands. _It's getting harder to tell nightmare and reality apart. I can still feel that man's gun against my head. Still hear Weiss turn me in…_

The dark woman looked over once again to her white-themed team leader. It wasn't the first time in recent history she had these thoughts, and certainly not the first time she had these dreams. Would Weiss really do that to her? It felt so real… but the seemingly real betrayal wasn't what worried Reaper. No, it was her own all-too-real lack of surprise when it happened.

She shook the nightmare off and stood up to get some coffee. She could already tell she didn't want to sleep tonight.

Reaper had lost track of how much caffeine she had consumed by the time the team went to breakfast. If she wasn't careful, she would rival Oobleck for most obsessive coffee drinker on campus. It was a fact her team mates didn't fail to notice, and they were all starting to worry. But there wasn't much they could do. Even when they did corner the ex-criminal, she was extremely defensive and short with all of them.

The only person who could still talk to Reaper and wasn't a subject of her many nightmares was Nora. And Neo was slightly relieved, as it gave her hope of a return to normalcy when she saw Reaper willingly engaging with Nora between classes.

Nora was happily skipping through the halls when Reaper tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh! Reaper! Hi!" Nora greeted enthusiastically.

"Hey Nora." Reaper nodded, obviously exhausted.

"Are you doing okay?" Nora asked, catching on surprisingly quickly.

"Why does everybody ask that?" Reaper asked.

"Is it whatever was bothering you the other day?" Nora asked, still hopeful to help her friend.

"Nora, I'm fine." Reaper insisted. "But speaking of the other day… I was actually wondering if you had spoken to Ren at all?"

Nora's mood feel faster than a guillotine. "No… I don't want to risk it…"

"Nora…" Reaper tried.

"I know it sounds stupid…" Nora shook her head. "But he already deals with me as things are… I don't want to put any more on him. And…" She hesitated. "I don't want to risk losing him, or even making things awkward, if he doesn't feel the same way."

"You deserve to be happy, Nora." Reaper told her.

"And I am! I'm happy being his bestest friend. And I'm fine with that!" Nora argued.

"Are you?" The dark woman questioned.

Nora nodded as the bell rang for classes. "Oh!" She cried. "We're late!"

"Goodwitch, right?" Reaper asked.

"Yup! Is your hand healed yet?" Nora was excited to finally fight Ember again.

"When it is, you'll be the first to know." Reaper told her. She still hadn't told anyone about Ember's strange silence.

* * *

Reaper's insomnia was getting worse. The dark woman hadn't even donned her pajamas, let alone crawled into bed and slept, for nearly three days. She spent all of her night out of the dorm, on walks around campus or deep in thought on the roofs. And those were thoughts she didn't share with anyone. Her lack of sleep only worsened her progressively bad mood, and her eyes were almost perpetually red. It was quickly becoming clear that her anger was becoming a real problem, more so than it had ever been in the past.

On this night, Neo chose to follow Reaper out to the rooftop, intent on finally having a real conversation. She turned the corner to see her dark lover standing by the edge. She shivered, cursing herself for not changing out of her pajamas before leaving the dorm. She walked up quietly, not wanting to scare off Reaper. When she was close, she walked loud enough to announce her presence before tapping Reaper on the shoulder.

The dark woman looked up to the ice cream girl, speaking with a cold edge. "What do you want."

 _Just to talk._ Neo gestured. She had 'spoken' so much with sign language lately, she was worried that Reaper would miss her intent 'speaking' like she used to.

Thankfully, Reaper still had it. "Well? Talk." Reaper continued just as cold as before.

'What is going on with you lately?' Neo asked.

"Why is everybody asking that? I am fine, I keep telling you all I'm fine!" Reaper shouted.

Neo shook her head. 'You're obviously not. I haven't seen you so angry, even before I was causal in keeping you calm, and I know I am.'

"Have you met me? Anger is kind of my thing?" Reaper rounded on her. "You can only keep something in check for so long before it boils over."

'Is that what you think is happening?' Neo signed. 'Because I know you better than that. Will you please, finally, tell me what's going on with you?'

Reaper looked into her small lover's eyes for a long moment before sighing deeply. She sat down, her feet dangling off the building's edge. "I… I'm having doubts." She finally admitted.

Neo sat down next to her and signed, 'Doubts about what?'

"Everything." Reaper answered vaguely, not wanting to get into specifics with the object of one of her many doubts. "I don't know why I'm so angry, but I am. And I can't even ask Ember…"

Neo looked up at her, confusion obvious in her eyes. Reaper cursed herself for the slip of the tongue. 'How long have you been unable to talk to Ember?'

"Before term." Was all Reaper said. Neo frowned. "Look," Reaper continued, "I have a lot going on in my head, and it's not easy… can we just… pretend everything is fine? Just for maybe an hour or two?"

Neo nodded reluctantly. She shimmied close to Reaper so the dark woman could drape her arm over the multi-colored girl's shoulders. For a while they simply sat like that. It wasn't long before Neo felt a change. She looked up at Reaper's sleeping face and smiled.

Then Reaper started to fidget her sleep. Her expression changed, and she started to sweat even in the cold. Neo recognized it immediately. Almost every time she slept since she got out of the hospital, Reaper had been having nightmares. It seemed this time was no different. She didn't know what her lover had nightmares about, _but it seems to line up with her sudden mood changes…_

In her head, Reaper was being betrayed yet again. This time again by the woman sitting next to her. Leaving her to die on that very rooftop and walking away with Roman. And like with Weiss the other night, it felt far more real than ever before. When the dream finally ended, she shot awake, bumping her small lover off balance…

And Neo felt herself falling. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the girl descended toward the distant ground, and her aura wasn't going to save her from a fall like that. As quickly as it started, the fall suddenly stopped. Neo looked up into the terrified eyes of her lover, holding onto her wrist as if it were her own life on the line.

Reaper pulled Neo back up to the roof, shaking, but alive. "I am so sorry I was having a nightmare and I jolted and you fell and I can't believe I did this and I am so so so so sorry! Neo, wait, I'm sorry!"

Neo all but ran back inside. She was freaking out, and it wasn't just the fall. Yes, Reaper was having a nightmare. Yes, Reaper jolted when she woke up. But Neo was watching her. She saw everything. Reaper jolted awake, and it knocked Neo off balance. The dark woman could have caught her. But whatever Reaper was seeing in her nightmare… Neo saw anger in her eyes. Neo saw hate.

Neo felt the hand that pushed her off the roof.

* * *

Reaper downed another cup of coffee in the mess hall before it had a chance to cool. She wasn't going back to sleep. Not after that. She wasn't stupid or blind. As much as she could try to convince the others, she couldn't fool herself. She intentionally shoved Neo and that scared her more than any of her betrayal nightmares. She was already questioning everyone's trust, and now she had done the exact kind of thing that would lose trust. All of her fears seemed just a little more justified.

 _Speaking of losing trust…_ Reaper watched the doors to the mess hall as Weiss made her way inside.

"I figured you might be here." Weiss spoke up.

"How?" Reaper answered, too tired to sound angry or cold.

"Because the mess hall has the second most powerful coffee maker in all of Beacon, after my own in our dorm, since CVFY graduated." Weiss answered. "And you weren't coming back to the dorm."

Reaper only answered by drinking deeply from her mug, which she had already refilled.

"Reaper, Neo told us what happened. Exactly what happened." Weiss told her. "You think maybe a lack of sleep is what's causing your recent… outbursts?"

"A lack of sleep would have been incredibly helpful twenty minutes ago." Reaper answered.

"Reaper, when was the last time you got a full night's sleep?" Weiss pointed out. "Maybe all you need is some regular rest."

"Or maybe I'm just a monster…" Reaper counted. "A monster who would throw the most important thing to her off a rooftop."

"Most important…?" Weiss was surprised. She knew Reaper cared for Neo, but their relationship had never been easy for the heiress to define. An open admittance like this caught her off guard.

"Never mind…" Reaper shook the slip up off. "The point is, maybe I'm not cut out for this huntress stuff. Maybe I belong in cell."

"You don't mean that." Weiss shook her head.

"You're right. I wouldn't let myself get locked up so easily." Reaper nodded, drinking more from her mug.

"That's not what I-"

"What exactly are you doing here? What was us talking supposed to accomplish?" Reaper pointedly asked her leader.

"I'm not the one you need to talk to. But Neo is too frightened to come find you." Weiss answered. "You need to come back to the dorm. Back to her. You might lose the most important thing in your life otherwise."

"She doesn't want to see me. Who would?" Reaper lamented. She paced over to the window to stare out it.

Weiss frowned, looking over Reaper. "Are you sick?"

"What?" Reaper flinched.

"I mean, it might just explain your behavior. Maybe your insomnia is a side effect? Which then affects your mood?"

"I'm not sick." Reaper resisted.

"What about your being pale?" Weiss argued.

"I'm always pale." Reaper retorted bitterly, this conversation all too familiar.

"Not this pale. You're almost white as snow." Weiss pointed out. "Just… let's take a trip to med-wing?"

 _So you can arrest me for real?_ Reaper's eyes narrowed. "No."

"Just to put us at ease, at least?" Weiss insisted.

"I said no!" Reaper shouted, her gaze never breaking form the window. "Just go away. Last thing I need is your condescendence."

"Excuse me?" Weiss was shocked.

"Shouldn't be hard to feel superior to a monster." Reaper continued. "Especially for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss accused.

"It means go." Reaper deadpanned.

Weiss turned on her heel and walked quickly out of the mess hall. Beyond the doors, she found Neo eavesdropping. "I don't know what's going on with your partner, but if this keeps up, she'll lose her place here." Weiss spate out before storming away. Neo looked forlornly at the door before walking off.


	24. Korrupted

No one would ever be quick to call Cardin Winchester intelligent. Yet, he must have been hit especially hard with the idiot stick the morning he decided to ply his impolite trade on Neopolitan. He had been looking for an opportunity for payback since the first time, and he hadn't failed to notice the friction between Reaper and Neo. Unfortunately, he pegged to reasoning for this friction all wrong, assuming the pair were having a normal breakup.

Not that anything was ever normal between those two.

Cardin had cut Neo off on her way to the drink stand, just as before. "Hey little cutie." He teased as he pushed her against the wall. "It's been a while. Where were we last time?"

Neo's response was clear in the ferocity of her eyes.

"Oh, don't be like that." Cardin laughed. "I'm not afraid of Ruby anymore. I know what her rules are. She can't touch me."

Neo would have rolled her eyes if she wasn't afraid for Cardin's life. For starters, he had those rules all wrong. And second, the small girl was sure Reaper wouldn't be in a mood to follow rules.

The dark woman in question was keeping an eye on Neo from across the mess hall, and her darkness stirred to the surface when she saw what Cardin was doing.

 _ **Go get him.**_

Reaper shot up and stormed Cardin's direction.

 _ **Get him.**_

The entity in her head goaded Reaper on single mindedly.

 _ **Hurt him.**_

So much so she didn't even realize her voice was speaking to her after nearly two months of total silence.

 _ **Kill him.**_

Reaper growled as she grabbed Cardin by the throat and lifted him into the air. She maintained her grip on his neck and brought him down on a nearby table, smashing the wooden structure in the process. Cardin effectively lay on the floor, covered in food and splinters. Reaper knelt over him, squeezing his air passage.

" **I** **do believe I made you a promise a long time ago.** " Reaper spoke with a new darkness in her voice. " **That if you ever hurt any of my friends, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you.** "

Cardin tried to speak, but Reaper's grip on his throat kept him silent. _Just a little more pressure, and-_

"REAPER!" Weiss cried.

The dark woman snapped out of her bloodlust. Her eyes found herself in the reflective surface of a nearby food tray. She saw her eyes, and something wasn't right. The dark woman let go of Cardin, who had passed out but was alive, and stormed out of the cafeteria.

She ran over to WBRN dorm and locked herself in the bathroom. Staring at herself in the mirror, she finally noticed a few strange things. First of all, she was pale, almost stark-white. And from a point on her right arm, dark lines were being drawn across the surface of her skin, reaching towards her neck and head. And then there were her eyes. A deep red, like Ember's… but not like Ember's. Because these were not Ember's eyes.

These were the eyes of a Grimm.

"You're not Ember, are you… Ember hasn't been speaking because she's not here."

 _ **Took you long enough to catch on.**_

"How? How are you even in me?"

 _ **I am a parasite, helpfully injected by an ally of my master's back at the hospital. Not that you would remember that… faded from your mind like a dream.**_

"When I did hear Ember then… it was always _you_ , pushing my paranoia."

 _ **I am good, if I do say so myself.**_

"The nightmares…" Reaper raged. "They've all been _you_!"

 _ **It's what I do… Step one, Infect the mind**_

 _Well, now I know… now I know not to trust you, not to trust myself!_

 _ **It's too late. I only needed you to distracted long enough for me to finish step two.**_

 _Step two?_

Reaper watched herself in the mirror. She watched as her reflection began to smile, stretching her face against her will.

" **Step two?** " Reaper heard herself speak. But it wasn't her voice, and it wasn't Ember's either. " **Why, step two is infect the body.** "

Reaper could only stare in horror through the Grimm colored eyes. " **Goodbye Reaper. Hello… hm. I need a name. Something fitting. Something like…** "

 _I may be trapped but I'm not buried. I will not BE SILENT!_

" **AAAARRRRGGHHHH!** " Reaper's body gripped her head in the wake of a blinding headache. Red eyes squeezed shut and opened to reveal silver.

Reaper was back in control. "You won't hurt those I care about!"

 _ **YOU WON'T KEEP ME DOWN FOREVER! I'VE ALREADY GOTTEN OUT, REAPER!**_

For once, Reaper was sure of something completely of her own thoughts. She was sure the parasite was right. Reaper had used a lot to wrestle back control, and it was only a matter of time before the Parasite Grimm was rested enough to try again. Reaper had to get far away before then. She had to keep her friends safe.

Neo finally busted through the door into the bathroom, and Reaper was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of her dark lover anywhere. She walked back into the dorm and a change of clothes and Brutal Thorn were missing in the ten seconds she was in the bathroom, with the window wide open. The multi-colored ex-criminal stared out the window, sure that Reaper was gone. What she wasn't sure of, was just what the hell was going on. The only hint she had was a rough carving she saw in the bathroom counter. Written in deep gouges was 'NOT ME'.

* * *

Arthur Watts and Hazel Rainart woke up in the main hall in Salem's fortress. Neither were sure how they actually got there, the only hint being a strange girl nearby that they both had vague memories of speaking to. Kale smiled at the pair's assemblage, and left to fetch her master.

"What am I doing back here?" Arthur asked aloud.

"For a smart man, you're pretty dumb," Rainart told him off, "Salem wants to speak to us."

"Indeed."

Both men looked up at the familiar voice. The Grimm Queen looked down on them with barely hidden contempt. "And tell me, where have you been for the past several years?"

Arthur stood slowly, brushing his suit off. "After miss Fall made a mess of the Beacon attack, I had decided to lay low and wait for instructions. Instructions that never came, my lady."

Salem's eyes narrowed. "You expect me to believe that? What about the more obvious story? You saw failure and thought only of yourself."

"Fall won't be as easy to get to a second time, let alone the artifact at Beacon," Watts explained.

"Of course. But that means we should stop trying?" Salem shook her head, "I began a new plan. And both of you cowered to your holes, abandoning me."

"I'm after Ozpin," Hazel reminded the room, "and you were no closer to killing him."

"Very well, perhaps not _both_ of you cowered away," Salem conceded. "You simply lost faith in me, Hazel. How close have you gotten to Ozpin on your own?"

Hazel's grumble was response enough.

"Please, my lady, let's not be too hasty," Watts pleaded, "We have lives, lives we left behind for your cause. Can you truly fault us for returning to them when things looked bleak?"

"You're saying I should forgive you because you couldn't make the sacrifice?" Salem scolded incredulously.

"What I'm saying is that we all make mistakes," Watts clarified, "I did warn you about miss Fall."

"Perhaps you have a point, Arthur. Or perhaps you're just trying to save your own skin again," Salem deadpanned. The door behind the pair began to open, and Salem smiled. "Either way, you still need to be punished for your desertion. What do you think?" she called to the newcomer.

Watts and Rainart turned to see a young girl, dressed in black with skin almost as white as Salem's. There were even blackened veins, tracing up from her right arm and still stretching up her neck. The occasional bit of red broke up the monotone in her belt and hair, though it was her eyes that really marked her. The eyes of a Grimm. " **Two feet in the door and I get to kill people already? I think this is a good day**."

"Who is she?" Rainart asked, hiding his unnerve at the Grimm-like visage.

"Either your savior or executioner," Salem announced. "You're right, Watts. You only did what one could expect from _humanity_. So your punishment is thus, one of you shall die. The choice, is Korruption's."

" **I like that name!** " The Grimm girl smiled.

"So who shall it be?" Salem asked her, "Watts, who joined us because we were the winning team, and left when it looked like that would change? Or Rainart, who joined us because we both wanted Ozpin dead, and left when he began to lose faith that I couldn't help him kill the old wizard?"

" **That is a very hard decision,** " Korruption claimed, " **Both of those stories show clear disrespect for my mother.** "

"Please, Salem, be reasonable!" Watts begged.

"I think I am being reasonable, Watts," Salem rebutted.

" **Tsk tsk, no one likes a whiner,** _ **Watts**_ **,** " Korruption unfolded Brutal Thorn, stepping in front of the man.

"Please, think this through, I can still be of use!" Watts cried.

"I don't need either of you anymore," Salem remarked offhandedly. "I was going to kill you both when I first decided this."

" **You know the difference between you and 'Rainart' there?** " Korruption asked Arthur, " **He doesn't stink of fear. He knows what this is, he knows what I am. His confidence is disgusting, but your fear? That's delicious… it makes me want to eat. You. Up.** "

"It sounds as though Korruption has decided," Salem noted. "Hazel. There are things we need to discuss before going forward."

" **Don't worry, I won't actually eat you,** ' Korruption assured the nearly incoherent mess that Watts had become. " **Though I will have lots of fun with you…** " The Grimm woman brought up the black scythe.

"In the other room, please," Salem added to Hazel. "I don't think we want to watch this."

Hazel and Kale followed Salem through the door as Korruption went to work on the poor doctor.

* * *

The rest of team WBRN had mixed reactions to Reaper's sudden departure. Blake was in denial, she couldn't wrap her mind around the peculiar events leading to the ex-criminal's outbursts. She didn't want to believe Reaper did this on purpose, but couldn't figure out what could make Reaper do anything she didn't want to do. Weiss felt betrayed, the rational part of her mind deciding that there was no way an outside force could influence Reaper like that. She didn't know how right she was, and also very wrong, but the fact remained. And Neo, for the most part, couldn't feel anything. She had yet to tell the others about Reaper's message and didn't know how to bring it up at this point. She just wanted Reaper back.

The girl's readied for the next day in silence, Neo spending so long in the shower she had to illusion her uniform once again. They were halfway to her next class when Glynda's voice came over the intercoms. "Would team WBRN please report to the headmaster's office?"

The trio frowned. This wasn't going to end well. They arrived before too long, standing in the elevator as it made its way up.

"What do we tell him?" Blake asked.

"The truth." Weiss told her.

"But we don't know the truth." The faunus resisted.

"We know she nearly killed Cardin, not to mention-" Icy blue eyes flickered to Neo before deciding not to say it out loud, "-and then she ran." Weiss finished unimpeded.

"I refuse to believe Reaper's at fault. She worked too hard to get where she was." Blake argued.

"I think we've all forgotten she's genuinely, certifiably insane." Weiss countered. "Her downward spiral probably just resumed."

"Why are you _still_ not giving her a chance?" Blake shouted.

"I've given her more than enough chances!" Weiss shouted back. "Maybe _you_ are far too forgiving!"

Blake opened her mouth to continue the fight, but she was interrupted by a very loud _CRASH_. They turned to Neo, who had tears falling from her eyes and her fist resting in a sizeable dent in the elevator's wall. The message was clear. Weiss and Blake settled into an uncomfortable silence, Neo rubbing her now sore fist in her other hand.

The elevator came to a stop and opened. Ozpin had his back to the group, looking over information coming through his scroll. He tapped a few things and began his planned reprimands. "I believe you know why I called you here." He spun to face the team. "Your unexpected outburst in the dining hall yesterday…" He stopped once he noticed only three of the four members of team WBRN before him. "Where is Reaper?"

Blake shifted uncomfortably. "Well… the thing is…"

"We don't know." Weiss answered abruptly. "She's gone."

"What happened?" Ozpin questioned.

"She attacked people and then ran away." Weiss spoke up before Blake had a chance to. "What is there to analyze?"

Ozpin sunk back in his chair. "That doesn't sound like the Reaper I've come to know… she's worked too hard to earn her place here."

"I told you." Blake scolded.

"And honestly, Ms. Schnee, do you really believe that in any state, Reaper would willingly leave Ms. Neopolitan behind?" Ozpin pointed out.

Weiss's rebuttal stuck in her throat. Even between Torchwick's organization falling and Neo attending Beacon, the two still seemed nearly inseparable. "Still, her sudden turn in troubling…"

"Not so sudden." Blake realized.

"Blake?" Weiss was surprised.

"You said we tell the truth." Blake pointed out. "Reaper has been acting strange for weeks. Angrier, more guarded. She wouldn't even let Neo in. It wasn't just a bad mood. She's barely been sleeping. Things may have escalated quickly the past few days, but she's been distant ever since term started."

Weiss's scroll buzzed, making the team look towards Neo who had hers in her hand. She nodded for Weiss to read the message. The heiress sighed before relaying, "And apparently what sleep she's been getting has been plagued with nightmares."

"Hmm…" Ozpin thought carefully.

"Look, we can't rule out that Reaper is just degrading, getting crazier." Weiss told them. "I know it's not the popular theory here, but it's the most likely. It's not like she was being mind-controlled by anyone."

"Unfortunately, Weiss is right. And I doubt the council would be as open-minded as Ms. Belladonna and I have been." Ozpin sighed. "It just doesn't fit with the Reaper I know. Is there anything else?"

Weiss and Blake both responded negatively.

"Neo?" Ozpin asked, noting she failed to answer.

The small girl walked up to the desk and set her scroll down, the screen showing an image of the bathroom carving.

"'Not me'…" Blake read. "In our dorm? Why didn't you say anything, Neo?"

Neo shot Weiss a glance that spoke volumes.

"You… don't think I don't trust you…?" Weiss asked slowly.

'You never trusted Reaper.' Neo signed.

"That's not true…" Weiss lamented.

"Unfortunately, this isn't enough. How can Reaper not be herself? Have there been any strangers around her recently, someone who may be altering her mind with a semblance perhaps?" Ozpin grasped desperately at straws. He wanted to still believe in Reaper.

"I… don't think so…" Blake admitted.

Ozpin sat back in his chair. "Is… is there anything that happened recently that could have triggered a regression? Has anyone changed their attitude towards her, made her feel left out, unwanted?"

'Since the schoolyear started, Reaper hasn't let anyone close enough to trigger a regression like this, if that's really what this is,' Neo quickly typed out.

"I don't know what to think," Ozpin admitted aloud, "I want to believe Reaper has made progress, and up until this incident it looked as though she was. This is very troubling…"

"What do we do?" Blake asked.

"We're supposed to inform the council and the local police if she goes missing," Ozpin explained, "Though I fear there is a bias in the police department. If there _is_ more here than meets the eye, they won't give her a chance to explain. If at all possible, I want to bring her back home. So, we'll look for her ourselves when we have time."

"Seriously?" Weiss shook her head, "How far off book does she have to go before you realize she might just be gone?"

"What I know of Reaper and her progress doesn't match with everything that has happened," Ozpin explained, "If I had never given Reaper the benefit of the doubt like so many people advised, then she would have never gotten this far in the first place. We're huntsmen, Ms. Schnee. We save people."

"What do we tell people then, if we can't tell anyone she's gone?" Blake asked.

"I'll inform the staff that Ms. Rose is bedridden," Ozpin answered, "Return to your studies for now. When there is time, look for her."

Blake and Neo began to file out, but Weiss had stayed behind for one more question. "Everything you do for her… it's a stretch, even for you," Weiss pointedly told the headmaster, "What's really going on? Why do you really want to keep her around?"

"What do you mean, Ms. Schnee?" Ozpin asked defensively.

"What I have been willing to forgive from that woman is very charitable," Weiss explained. "What you've been willing to forgive is downright _insane_. There's something more, isn't there? Some other reason you want to keep her around?"

"Such as what?" Ozpin countered.

"I have no idea, but it's the _only_ logical explanation." Weiss didn't back down.

Ozpin smiled. "Perhaps I'm simply not a logical person."

" _That_ I seriously doubt," Weiss sighed, "Fine. I'll play along. But I reserve my skepticism."

"Very well. And thank you, Weiss." Ozpin offered.

"Don't thank me. Just prove me wrong," Weiss joined her team in the elevator and the trio left the office.

Ozpin spun back around in his chair, staring out the window. Weiss Schnee had learned a lot at Beacon, it seemed. She was incredibly more perceptive now that when she first started schooling. He had to be careful around her… team WBRN may be nearly graduated, but they weren't ready for the truth. Not yet.


	25. Something Wicked

Korruption paced the room that was 'hers'. Much nicer than her previous accommodations, though it was easy to beat 80 years in a glass tube. Still, when a queen sized bed takes up a fraction of the floorspace and one wall was entirely windows with an excellent few of the dark scenery beyond, one had to appreciate it. " **Not much'll beat that**." Korruption spoke to itself. A frown soon grew on her face, however, and she piloted her stolen body in front of the full-body mirror nearby. She looked into her own eyes, amusement far from her appearance.

" **I know you're still there, Reaper.** " Korruption warned. " **Poking around… trying to find a way to push me out. You won't win.** "

 _Shut up._

" **You're lucky, y'know. This brain was already so broken before I got here you actually have a refuge in the cracks. A first-class seat to the show.** " The Grimm taunted.

 _SHUT UP!_

A powerful and familiar migraine shot through the woman's skull, making Korruption double over and grip her hair. " _ **Noooo! Stop it! You can't push me out!**_ "

 _I think I can! LET'S FIND OUT!_

" **AAAARRRRGGHH!** " Korruption fought her host with all she had, keeping a death-glare on the mirror. " **This won't kill me! You'll only delay the inevitable!** "

 _THIS WILL KILL YOU! AND EVEN IF IT DOESN'T, AT LEAST I'LL BE FREE OF YOU!_

Korruption strained against the pounding in her skull, and made a decision. She drew the small knife Reaper kept in her belt, the one Neo gave her to draw the Red Haze. With zero hesitation, Korruption drove the knife into her gut. With two hands and Reaper's strength, she snapped the handle from the blade, leaving the metal in her intestines.

The shock affected Reaper as well, giving Korruption some reprieve. " **Now I'm all that's holding us together… my parasites are keeping the wound from affecting us… You kick me out, and whether I live or die,** _ **you die too**_ **.** "

Korruption's smug victory didn't last long. It didn't take long for Reaper to decide.

 _I don't care if I die. As long as IT KILLS YOU TOO!_

The pain returned to her head, and Korruption could have sworn she felt blood vessels popping. " **AARGH! You don't know if it will kill me! Can you really take the chance!? I'LL JUST INFECT SOMEONE ELSE! MAYBE FROM YOUR TEAM!** _ **WHAT WAS THE COLORFUL ONE'S NAME AGAIN!?**_ "

All at once, all the pain and pressure stopped. " **That's what I thought.** " Korruption gloated, the smug grin returning to stay.

 _You leave her alone. You kill her, and I don't care_ what _you do to the world. I. Will. Kill you._

" **Well, you'll try. But don't worry,** " Korruption raised her hand like she was making a vow. " **Little Neopolitan is safe from me. Cross our heart.** "

Reaper stayed quiet after that, and Korruption got a good look at herself in the mirror. Blood vessels _did_ pop, and now a large black splotch covered the right side of her face where her parasite bodies were keeping the mess contained. Blood vessels in her right eye pooped as well, and all the white was covered. While her left eye still had white, the right looked more like Salem's own eyes. Which Korruption didn't mind, but it meant spying was out of the question. _**Can't keep up Reaper's identity with such a glaring Grimm trait.**_

She poked at the black spots on her temple. Her true form was a mess of hundreds of microscopic Grimm. Only one of the forms was the Korruption that spoke and thought, the rest controlled through a hive-mind. The only real guarantee someone would kill her is if they destroyed the mother cell, which was a one in a million shot even if it was reachable from the surface of her host.

Korruption found her smile again. More than likely, any attempt to kill her would only kill Reaper and leave her free. She was safe. She was alive. And more importantly, _**I'm going to have so much fun.**_

* * *

Salem, Hazel, and Kale were already seated when Korruption entered the hall. The Grimm Queen's eyes were immediately drawn to the obvious flaw on the side of her creature's face. "What happened?"

" **My host is feistier than I care to admit. But I have her subdued now.** " Korruption assured.

"Are you sure?" Salem asked, her eyes narrowing.

" **Positive.** " Korruption nodded.

"Very well." Salem nodded. "Though, we may have to work the plan around your current appearance."

"What plan?" Hazel asked.

"Tyrian has yet to pin down the summer maiden's exact location. I was going to have Korruption spy at Beacon, but that seems unlikely to succeed now."

"And once the maiden is discovered, I will make my way to her and capture her power," Kale spoke up.

"What about me?" Hazel asked.

"You shall stay here and stay silent until I decide what to do with you. Although…" Salem thought deeply, "You may very well be useful once it is time to capture the summer maiden's power. Cinder had her two cronies to help her. Though she only got half the power, and Emerald and Mercury have vanished."

" **They're dead,** " Korruption spoke up.

"Excuse me?" Salem responed.

" **My host told me she killed them. A few years ago, now.** "

"I see…" Salem narrowed her eyes at her pet. She turned to Hazel, "So, you and Tyrian will help Kale subdue the maiden when the time comes. Until then, patience. I still haven't forgiven you."

" **And what about me?** " Korruption asked.

"I would have asked you if you thought you could resume your presence at Beacon, but you cannot pass for Reaper now." Salem informed her. "Even if Ozpin isn't already on the lookout for something strange, he'll definitely notice you now."

" **So… what? Sit here and wait?** " Korruption scowled.

"You will have your fun, in time." Salem assured.

" **I want to have fun** _ **now**_ **.** "

"Be. Patient." Salem clearly enunciated her lack of that trait with the current conversation.

The meeting dismissed soon after, and Korruption stormed back to her room. She may walk and talk like a human girl, but parasite in control _was_ still a Grimm. She craved destruction, she craved the pain of humanity. Her new body only ensured her fury at not being able to fulfill these desires.

The Grimm girl brought her fist down on her bedside drawer. The breaking wood was satisfying, but that feeling was fleeting. She was soon hitting it again and again, reducing it to splinters. Then, she moved on to the armoire until it was a pile on scrap wood on the floor. Then she tore apart he bed and kicked the bathroom door in. It wasn't long before there was nothing else to break, leaving the Grimm girl to stare out the window.

Korruption didn't want to disobey her mother, but she could hardly hold back. She felt Salem enter the room. " **Please… Let me go…** "

"What do you expect will happen?" Salem asked.

" **Chaos.** " Korruption told her. " **In this body, I can bring Vale to its knees. Perhaps even destroy Beacon…** "

"Chaos will only detriment our goals." Salem warned.

Korruption punched the window, cracking the entire pane dramatically. " **I can do this.** "

"Know your place," Salem warned. "Ozpin doesn't yet know I'm active. We need to keep it that way."

" **I can kill him,** " Korrupiton promised.

"No, you can't," Salem deadpanned. "I will find something for you to do, but first you must learn patience."

The problem with trusting a Grimm was their inherent need to destroy. No sooner did Salem leave did Korruption take advantage of being able to move outside of her careful gaze. She would show her. She would make her mother proud. She would destroy Vale, and maybe even kill Ozpin.

* * *

Neo didn't know what to do. The days passed, and she couldn't seem to feel anything but alone. She wasn't even sad about Reaper being gone, because the loneliness swallowed everything else. She was simply _there_ , unable to process the world around her. It left a hole inside her, and she just autopiloted from class to class. Luckily, the teachers never tried to engage her, although she didn't doubt at least Goodwitch knew what was going on.

The colorful girl had no idea how she made it through each day. She could stay in bed and it would make little difference. She just wanted to _know_. Even if it turned out Reaper was dead, at least Neo would know, and then she could grieve. She was starting to understand how Velvet might have felt a few years ago… the not knowing was definitely worse.

They finished yet another day and Neo slumped onto the desk. She kicked open the fridge, hoping a drink or two would help her cope. It didn't take long to mix the ingredients. Glass in hand, mismatched eyes stared out the window as she sipped away. Sunset passed, the darkness covering the campus, and Neo made another drink. A moving shadow on the courtyard almost missed her attention, but something about it was familiar. The walk, the sway of the hips, the flow of the… _cloak._

Neo's eyes shot wide and she dashed out of the dorm. She dropped the glass along the way, shattering it and waking Weiss and Blake. The couple noted the ex-criminal dash out of the room and groggily sat up, giving each other curious looks. The black figure reached the main doors as Neo bolted down the entrance hall. She smiled when she saw the familiar black hood.

Reaper stepped closer and closer, and Neo's smile failed. Something was off… her aura didn't feel right. It felt like Reaper's, but as if it were barbed and twisted. The multi-colored girl reached for her umbrella, realizing she didn't have it on her. Panic set in, panic that Korruption gladly fed off. Neo looked back to the hooded girl, and saw her eyes. Burning red, the right eye set entirely in black. It looked like a Grimm.

 _Not me_.

If there was somehow a Grimm inside Reaper, it would explain everything. But not why Neo wasn't already running. As if broken from some spell, the ex-criminal turned to run, but it was too late. She was lifted up, and slammed against the nearby wall. She started to fall, but felt the hand around her throat once again. She felt the life being drained from her, staring this _monster_ in the eye.

Korruption's grip suddenly slackened, a pained look passing through her dark eyes momentarily. Then she rolled them. " **Yes I know…** " The Grimm girl looked Neo dead on. " **You're lucky she cares for you so much. Normally, I would kill you.** " That was the last thing Neo heard before the darkness came.

Korruption knocked the girl out. She couldn't kill her, but she couldn't let her get in the way either. " **Now, where is Ozzy's office again?** "

The dark woman walked off, leaving Neo alone until Weiss and Blake came along. Blake's faunus eyes saw Neo first, and rushed down to her side. "Neo!"

"What happened?" Weiss asked, kneeling next to her girlfriend.

"Neo, wake up!" Blake cried.

"Neo!?" Another voice spoke behind them. Pyrrha, Jaune, and Nora joined them. "What happened!?"

"That's what we're trying to-"

" _HIYA!_ "

 _THWACK!_

Neo Shot awake after Nora karate-chopped her in the chest, some electricity coming off her hand. "You're welcome!" The pink terror cheerfully greeted.

"Neo." Weiss asked. "What happened?"

Neo signed hastily, Weiss barely keeping up.

"What's she saying?" Jaune asked.

"She's just repeating 'not Reaper' over and over again." Weiss told him.

"I thought I saw Reaper down the hall when we showed up." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Wait, what? Are you sure?" Blake asked.

"Yes? I was under the impression she was sick." Pyrrha answered slowly.

The faunus and the heiress traded uneasy glances. "'Not Reaper'…" Weiss repeated. "'Not me'… I don't like this."

"No." Blake shook her head. Her eyes passed JNPR's way and she noticed something. "Where's Ren?"

"He must have already been awake, probably meditating. We woke up when we heard glass shatter, but by the time we three were ready to go he was already gone." Jaune explained.

"What direction did you see Reaper?" Weiss asked Pyrrha quickly. The warrior nervously pointed down the hallway towards teacher offices. "We have to hurry."

Line

Korruption made her way through the halls quickly. There was no time to waste. This shouldn't take too long. Then after, she could have a little fun before returning. A dark smile was in permanent residence on her face as she found her way to Ozpin's receptionist's office. Within was the waiting room and the elevator to the headmaster's office. Korruption kicked the door in and bee-lined to the elevators, reaching towards the button.

 _Bang!_

A bullet struck the wall next to her hand, and she stopped short. She clenched her fist and turned slowly. It seems she was going to have some fun _before_ reaching the office. The smile stayed as her eyes fell on an average looking man, dressed in green mistralin-style clothing with a pink streak in his hair. He held out a green auto-pistol with a blade coming off the front.

 _Ren_

 _ **Thank you, Reaper.**_

 _No!_

" **Hey Ren, I need your help. I thought I saw someone sneaking into Ozpin's office. We need to stop them.** " Korruption tried to play it off. She looked at Ren, who was still aiming his pistol at her. " **Mind putting that thing away?** "

"You're not Reaper." Ren stated.

A large smile stretched Korruption's face once again, showing her teeth as if she were trying to bare fangs. " **I didn't think that would work, but hey.** " She pulled out Brutal Thorn. Then, like whiplash, she was doubled over with her free hand covering the left side of her face. She was clearly in pain. " **No! No, you've reached your limit! OR DO YOU** _ **WANT**_ **ME TO GO BACK DOWN THERE AND SNAP YOUR LITTLE ONE'S NECK!?** "

"Reaper…?" Ren asked.

Korruption straightened out calmly and smiled. " **Sorry about that. We won't be interrupted again.** " She pulled her hand away from her face, revealing that now her left eye was drowned in black as well.

Ren's resolve steeled. "I saw what you did do Neo. I don't need to know what you are or what you're doing to know I need to stop you."

Korruption rasied her arms out. " _ **I**_ **may not be Reaper, but this is still her body. You know she's still in here, you saw it. So take your shot, and kill her.** "

"I know Reaper." Ren stated. "We never talk, but I've seen her with her team, with Neo. And I'm sure she would gladly give her life if it meant stopping you, especially after threatening Neopolitan's life."

 _Way to go Ren._

Korruption laughed. " **Are you really going to bet your friends life that killing her will kill me too? I'll be honest, I don't even know if that will work or not.** "

Ren threw his other weapon out of his sleeve, readying his combat stance. "I won't hold back." He promised.

Korruption only laughed more, licking her lips when it finally died out. _**This is going to be so much fun…**_ Her features narrowed and twisted, one eye more open than the other as she stared down Ren, her full malicious smile matched by the look on her face. She looked like a monster, and her next comment was spoken in a fitting growl. " _ **Then I won't hold back either!**_ "


	26. Loss

" _ **Then I won't hold back either!**_ "

They didn't hesitate to charge each other once that promise was made. Korruption swung Brutal Thorn at him. Ever the acrobat, Ren hopped up, planting one foot on the black blade before kicking off over the Grimm woman. His pistols aimed and fired, a few shots bouncing of Korruption's twisted aura and the rest blocked by a spin of the scythe. She swung at Ren's landing position, making the man raise his arms and pad his aura. He was knocked back some, but landed on his feet.

Already, Korruption was charging Ren again. She brought her blade around, and Ren threw it off course with a block from his blades. He then brought both blades across her face. Korruption brought her scythe back, and the ninja easily ducked under its swing. The next swing he jumped over, cartwheeling in the air. Instead of bringing the scythe back again, Korruption spun with it and brought it up, intent to bring it down on Ren's position.

Ren backflipped away, and Brutal Thorn's blade dug into the ground. Korruption frowned and pulled the trigger. Ren dodged the shot easily and ran in a crescent curve. Korruption yanked Brutal Thorn from the ground and ran in a similar manner, the two fighters meeting at the center of the room. Ren raised one of his pistols to fire. Korruption slammed her left foot down, planting her for a spin. As Ren's Stormflower came within range, Brutal Thorn came flying in from the right.

The man barely managed to hang on to his gun as the scythe struck his wrist, taking a chunk of his aura. With her spin, Korruption was able to follow with her free left hand grabbing Ren's wrist. Unable to escape her vice-grip, Ren was pulled into the air like a rag-doll. Korruption slammed her opponent into the ground and then threw him to the far wall. Somehow, Ren was upright when his back connected, and he landed on his feet.

Another semblance was twisted and tainted to serve a new master as purple flames erupted around Korruption's fist. She sped forward, black petals falling to the ground. Ren barely managed to pull his face out of the fiery fist's path, the force cratering the wall on impact. The ninja retaliated, pushing both barrels into her gut and holding the triggers. The recoil made a trail of gunshots go all the way up, and Korruption jumped back and twisted to avoid any bullets striking her face. The last rounds bounced off her shoulder.

Ren darted forward again before she could properly recover. Dancing around the Grimm girl, Ren made a series of strikes that whittle the tainted aura away. Korruption felt the sting of a thousand cuts all over her body. Ren would attack her legs, her arms, her neck, and her torso, never forming a pattern for her to counter. Korruption tapped the speed semblance again, trying to anticipate Ren's moves. His next strike ended with both of Stormflower's blades hooked around Brutal Thorn's shaft.

Korruption immediately spun and threw her scythe, ripping Ren's pistols from his hands in the process. All three devices skidded across the ground. Before Ren could react, he felt a hand around his throat. Once again, the vice-grip locked him in place as he was lifted from the ground. Ren took a considerable amount of aura, but unwittingly charged the semblance that was once Yang's in the process. Korruption felt a rush from the energy pumping through her, enveloping her body in dark flame.

Her eyes locked on Ren's, and her monstrous smile returned. She began to focus all her energy into her free fist, a fireball building there that was soon bigger than Ren's head. Korruption laughed as she slammed that fist into her opponent's face, sending him bouncing along the ground. His aura flicker with each impact until a final crash against the wall shattered it.

He managed to find his feet, barely, while Korruption picked Brutal Thorn back up and strutted toward him. Ren looked at her, and she stopped. They both stared at each other for a moment. Ren knew how this was going to end, and he knew Korruption still had too much aura for him to do a 'take her with him' act. He just wanted to see someone, one last time.

Korruption moved, bringing Brutal Thorn back and making the blade straighten almost like a massive spear. Then a thrust forward officially ended their struggle.

Ren sputtered, blood coming out of his mouth. The Grimm parasite within the girl was elated. She took down a nearly full-fledged huntsman. His body started to weaken and fall, and Korruption kneeled with him, her blade still in his torso. " **Tell me how it feels… The darkness… the cold… let me hear it all…** "

Ren looked the monster in her cold, red eyes. "I'm sorry, Reaper… I tried… my best…"

" **Your best was never gunna be good enough.** " Korruption teased, ignoring whatever reply Reaper had. " **And if you're the best Humanity has to offer, then this is gunna be a piece a' cake…** "

"You will be stopped." Ren promised. "You cannot win."

" **Save your breath, human.** " Korrupton smiled. " **You don't have very many left.** " She pulled the scythe out of his gut and grabbed one of his guns. " **I could kill you… but I think I'll give you a chance to see your friends again.** " Ren looked up at her, and her dark smile only grew. " **Their hope at seeing you… then realizing they can do** _ **nothing**_ **but watch as you fade away… Ohhh… feeding off such sorrow…** " The Grimm put on an 'innocent' face, " **It makes me feel things no innocent girl should feel…** " The expression broke as the creature started laughing.

Korruption continued laugh as she entered the elevator and left the room. Jaune busted the door down soon after and the two teams rushed in. Pyrrha was the first see her team mate. "Ren…"

All eyes turned, and Nora's burst into tears. "REN!" She jumped to his side, eyeing the gash in his stomach. "Oh no… Ren, stay calm… we can get help, we can save you…"

"Nora…" Pyrrha reached out.

"NO!" she knocked her team mate's hand away. "He'll make it… he has to…"

Weiss couldn't look away either, though a very different emotion stirred in her, charged by her grief. "Where did she go." She demanded of Ren.

Ren looked up at her. "Ozpin's office." He managed. "Weiss, it's not her."

The heiress stopped listening after 'Ozpin's office' and stormed to the elevator. "Weiss, wait!" Blake chased after her.

"It's okay, Ren, it'll be okay…" Nora tried to assure herself more than her closest friend. "Just stay quiet now, save your strength…"

Weiss charged right up to the elevator door. Blake's cat ears twitched, and her expression showed fear and desperation. "Weiss, no!" The faunus grabbed and pulled the heiress away just in time for the small explosion of the falling elevator hitting the bottom floor. Weiss looked up at the mess of twisted metal. "She must have cut the lines." Blake noted.

"I'll climb up the fucking shaft if I have to!" Weiss shouted.

"Weiss, hold on!" Blake held her still. "Look…"

They both turned back to Ren, who just took Nora's cheek in his hand. "Nora…"

"Ren…"

The man smiled. "I'm sorry we never…"

Nora placed her hand over Ren's on her face. "Me too…"

"You be good… Nor…" His body started to slack and his hand lost its grip, only held in place by Nora's.

"Ren, no…" Nora starting crying all over again. "Don't leave me…" She buried her face in the crook of his neck, holding him close. But it was over. Lie Ren was gone.

Neo looked up the elevator shaft, her face set. She had seen death before, and even watched Reaper deal it. But this was different. This was their _friend_. And whatever was going on, Neo was going to get to the bottom of it. She focused on the appearance of Ozpin's office, and vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

When Korruption arrived in Ozpin's office, the first thing she did was cut the elevator. She had until Neo decided to use her teleport to do what she had to do. She then turned Ren's gun around and began checking the rest of the room. " **Where does this guy sleep?** " Korrupiton wondered aloud. She didn't see a bed in here, or a door that could lead to a bedroom.

She was slightly frustrated that Ozpin appeared to not be in here at the moment, after all her effort to get here. She sat in his chair, looking over Vale. Her Grimm eyes glanced toward Ozpin's desk terminal, then back at Vale, then back at the terminal again. " **I wonder…** " She brought up the display and began various searches, hoping to find anything to further her cause. She smiled.

"What are you doing?"

The voice made Korruption jump out of the seat. She brought the green gun up immediately, pointed right at Ozpin. " **Where the hell did you even come from?** "

Ozpin didn't answer the question, instead staring at the girl's eyes. "You're a Grimm?"

" **Yes and no,** " Korruption began to regain her composure, " **I'm glad you made it. I couldn't wait to kill you.** "

"Me, specifically?" Ozpin asked. "Interesting."

" **Shut up,** " Korrution smiled, " **I'm going to enjoy this.** "

"You think you can beat me?" Ozpin taunted.

" **Are you willing to hurt Reaper to take me out?** " Korruption shot right back.

Everything clicked into place for Ozpin at those words. "A parasite," He realized, "You're a parasite Grimm that's taken over Reaper's body."

" **Someone give the man a cookie,** " Korruption teased.

A flash of light saw the arrival of Weiss, Blake and Neo. "Reaper!" Weiss drew her rapier.

"What's happening?" Blake asked Ozpin.

"Well, you've been proven wrong, Ms. Schnee," Ozpin informed them.

"What do you mean? How is that not Reaper?" Weiss questioned.

"Look at her eyes," The headmaster insisted.

For Korruption, this was getting a little crowded. She wanted to take Ozpin out, but she did want to survive the encounter. Having the others here didn't help her odds. _**It's not as though I'm suicidal… suicidal?**_

Korruption smiled and brought the gun barrel around to her own head. Weiss, Blake and Neo traded confused looks. " **I'm not Reaper,** " Korruption assured, " **I'm the Grimm parasite that's been slowly taking control for the past year. It's nice to meet you all for real.** "

"A Grimm parasite?" Weiss looked the creature in the eyes. "Since when have there been Grimm parasites?"

"You're new, aren't you?" Ozpin interrupted. New Grimm only meant one thing…

" **Take one more step, any of you, and I'll blow your friend's brains out,** " Korruption informed them all.

"That would kill you too," Blake assumed.

" **Maybe, maybe not, I don't know. Are you really willing to kill your friend and find out?** " The Grimm girl tightened her grip on the gun.

Weiss began to raise her rapier, only for Neo to forcefully push it back down. A look of fear and worry filled the multi-colored girl's eyes.

" **That's what I thought… now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to be.** " Korruption backed up to the winder and shattered it with her free elbow. She leapt out into the darkness, the night air swallowing her up. Neo and Weiss ran for the window the second she was out of sight, but they couldn't spot a single sign of her. She seemed to have vanished.

"What is going on?" Weiss asked the headmaster, "How can there be _new_ Grimm? What happened?"

Ozpin was busy staring at the screen of his computer console. "A Grimm parasite has taken over Reaper."

"Why?" Weiss asked, "How?"

"How, I do not know how," Ozpin admitted, "As for why, I don't think the Grimm had much say in the matter, truly. It's what that Grimm is doing now that it is here that concerns me."

"What is she-… it, doing?" Blake asked.

Ozpin waved a hand over his desk console, throwing the image from his screen out into the rest of the room. It showed a picture the three girls recognized immediately, as would anyone who lived in Vale. It was one of the power stations that ran the Kingdom's Anti-Grimm defenses.

There were three along Vale's walls, housing massive Dust generators that powered the automated defense systems as well as the shield keeping out flying Grimm. All three had been running since the technology was founded, as all three of them were needed to maintain the shielding. It was possible to shut one down for a few hours if the other stations were informed to pick up the slack. But if one was destroyed…

It could mean the end of Vale.

"Which one is she going to?" Weiss asked.

"I have no idea," Ozpin lamented, "So I shall need all of you. You three check station one, and I'll check station two."

"What about station three?" Blake asked.

"JNPR's downstairs!" Weiss recalled. "Well…"

"Let them mourn. I have someone in town I can call," Ozpin informed them, "But we must leave now. We don't have time for more questions."

"Not even about what that thing is? How it has Reaper? How there can be new Grimm?" Weiss attempted.

"I will tell you all you need to know later," Ozpin promised. "But now we must hurry. We cannot let the parasite get too far ahead of us."

Weiss, Blake and Neo looked between themselves, nodding in agreement. "Very well, but I'm going to hold you to that. Once we win, we get answers."

"Then let us be on our way," Ozpin nodded.


	27. Blackout

Weiss, Blake and Neo found their way to the first power station quickly. Thankfully it seemed things were well in order. They were stopped at the gate by the guards. "What are three armed young ladies such as yourself doing here?" He asked.

"We're huntresses with Beacon," Weiss flashed her school ID card.

"Students," The man pointed out.

"Near the end of our fourth year, on a task for professor Ozpin himself," Weiss informed the man, "We believe one of the power stations is going to be attacked tonight."

"We're fully prepared for any kind of attack, I assure you," The man told her.

 _You think that now…_ Neo thought.

"We even have a few huntsmen on call if things look bad," The man continued.

"What if you have no time to call them?" Blake asked.

The man narrowed his eyes at the trio. "What, uh… what exactly do you think is coming after us?"

"Just call your huntsmen. Now. Better safe than sorry," Weiss told him, "And do everything you can to prepare for one of the sister stations going dark."

"Alright… I don't think it's that necessary, but I'm sure they'll appreciate a night's pay," The guard relented before pulling out his scroll. The girls could tell their confidence in their words made the guards uneasy.

"Although," A nearby guard cut in, "It'll take a few hours to get the stations prepared. And a few more if we want to do it properly. We need to contact the other stations."

"Already on it," The first said, "I called the stations first. Number three responded, told me an aging hunter told them a similar story to the one the girls gave." Despite the news, the man still looked uneasy. "Station two hasn't responded."

"Guys," Blake looked up from her scroll that currently displayed a message from Ozpin, "We need to get to station two. Quickly."

"We can give you a vehicle," One of the guards offered quickly.

Weiss nodded. "Thank you. And call your huntsmen."

* * *

Ozpin felt he had reached power station two with sufficient haste. The scene he met with contradicted this assumption. The gates and outer walls were stained with blood and viscera. This creature had the power of Reaper, and the viciousness of a Grimm. There wasn't time to call any huntsmen here. The headmaster sent a massage to the others before stepping over the bloodstains and into the facility.

It seemed the creature was content with slaughtering everyone before doing what it was here to do. If there was any chance anyone was still alive, there was no time to waste. Ozpin hurried through the silent halls, hoping to find someone that was still alive. He had no such luck. The facility was empty, save for one dark figure. In the console room for the generators, stood a familiar being. Familiar, but not at all herself.

"Stop!" Ozpin commanded.

The being laughed off his request. " **It's too late to stop, old man.** "

"What are you doing?" Ozpin asked.

" **Isn't it obvious?** " Korruption responded, " **So much useful information in this head. It makes this** _ **so**_ **easy. Such as this!** " The creature manipulated a few more buttons on the console with a dark smile. " **Too much Dust in any system is dangerous…** "

"You cannot overload the generators," Ozpin informed her, "There are-" Ozpin's eyes scanned the generators at that moment and noticed one of them was damaged. A black scythe stuck out from between the tears. "…safeties…"

Alarms bathed the room in flashing red light.

" **Then it's a good thing I already smashed one a little bit,** " Korruption giggled.

Flashes of green energy broke up the red monochrome, and Korruption was struck across the face by Ozpin's cane. The man immediately got to work trying to stabilize the Dust flow. A flash of steel distracted him, and he dodged backward to avoid Brutal Thorn. But the deadly scythe wasn't aimed at him, and the blade found it's intended mark, burying itself in the control panels.

* * *

"Oh my god…"

Blake's words and Neo's face perfectly exemplified the horror all three girls felt at seeing the devastation in front of them. Weiss drove them from station one to station two as quickly as possible.

"Where's Ozpin?" Weiss wondered aloud.

"He must have already gone inside," Blake answered.

Neo strode ahead of them, right into the building. She didn't notice whether they followed her lead or not, and she didn't care. Neo only wanted one thing right now.

Braving the blood-soaked halls, the girls arrived in the generator area just in time to see Korruption pull Brutal Thorn out of a control console.

The Grimm girl saw them arrive and tried to calculate her chances. She likely couldn't win a fight against all four of them. The quickest exit was behind the newcomers from WBRN. There was a passage past the generators behind Korruption, but she had no idea where they lead and could only hope it was an exit. Despite the uncertainty of the hall behind her, Korruption decided it didn't mean there _wasn't_ an exit that way either. Not thrilled about a four-on-one fight, Korruption turned and bolted, leaving black petals in her wake.

Neo immediately took off after the creature, and Blake was ready to follow suit. The faunus only made it a few feet before looking back and seeing Weiss staring around the room. "C'mon, she's getting away!"

"She's overcharging the broken generator, isn't she?" Weiss asked Ozpin.

"Yes," The headmaster answered.

"If that blows, it'll destroy the other generators as well," Weiss deduced, "Forget force fields failing, the chain reaction could destroy this entire section of Vale's walls!"

"And without _that_ console," Ozpin pointed to the panel Korruption smashed, "We cannot re-regulate the flow."

"What can we do?" Blake offered, seeing the severity of the situation.

"A quick patch of the generator?" Weiss suggested, "Some kind of bypass, maybe?"

"I'll handle this part," Ozpin stated confidently. "Your team mate has already engaged the target by now. You need to go back her up."

"Can you do it by yourself?" Blake asked, worried.

Ozpin gave a sly and comforting smile. "I promise you both, we shall all meet again. Go get Reaper back."

His confidence was infectious, and Blake found herself responding with a "Yes, sir."

"Weiss, wait," Ozpin held up the heiress as the faunus turned toward the far hallway. "When you see Qrow, tell him your team is ready."

"Ready for what?" Weiss asked uneasily, "And why won't you tell him?"

"I have a feeling you'll see him before you see me again," Ozpin told her sincerely.

Weiss frowned at the implication. "Are we really going to see you again?"

"I promised, didn't I?" The sly smile returned, and Weiss dared to quickly smile back. Then she ran to catch up with her team.

Ozpin's smile failed the second Weiss was out of sight. He approached the generator with no real idea what he was going to do. _A bypass… maybe…_ He set his cane down and began to work on the device, manipulating various wires and switches.

* * *

Korruption cursed herself. She couldn't find an exit. Each dead end aggravated her further. One more wall met the Grimm infected woman. She turned back to try another pathway, but someone stood at the end of the hall. Neo blocked Korruption's path, umbrella at the ready.

" **Move out of the way, little girl,** " Korruption warned.

Neo narrowed her eyes at her opponent.

Pain throbbed the side of Korruption's stolen head. A reminder from Reaper about their deal. " **Can you really fight me?** "

Korruption had to dodge Neo's answer, the bladed whip striking off the wall behind her. The mute pulled the whip back, and Korruption had to roll under it to dodge low. The Grimm planned to spring to her feet with her fist ready and aimed for Neo's face. A sharp flash migraine threw Korruption's aim off course. Her fist sailed past Neo's head and struck the floor with enough force to crack it. " _ **Damn it, Reaper!**_ "

 _Reaper?_ Neo arched an eyebrow.

Korruption looked up to the small girl. " **She's still alive in here, you know. Still aware. Think you've got the guts to kill me? If it kills** _ **her**_ **?** "

Neo hesitated. If there was any truth to that, then there may be a way to save Reaper. Though to save Reaper would mean to spare the parasite, at least for now. On the other hand, if there wasn't a way to save Reaper, then she might as well be dead already.

 _That's if this thing is even telling the truth,_ Neo realized. _It might just want me to drop my guard._ The small girl slowly lifted her blade and drove it at Korruption's head. Korruption threw herself on the ground, the sword barely scraping her cheek.

" **You're going to kill Reaper!** " Korruption shouted, " **And you won't even kill me in the process!** "

Neo hesitated, but she didn't drop her stance.

Korruption was running out of options. She had no idea where the nearest exit was, surrounded by huntresses while running against the clock. _**I have no choice**_ , she realized, drawing Brutal Thorn. Even if Reaper was going to give her a hard time, she had to fight her way out of this situation.

Neo spun, releasing the whip and arcing it right at Korruption. The dark girl cursed, bringing up her scythe to deflect the blow. Neo rushed, and Korruption was primed to counter. She was going to swing Brutal Thorn right at her gut. As she swung, another shot of pain rocked through her skull, and her swing fell. Instead of striking Neo, the small girl was able to jump off the blade and twist in the air, swinging her whip around to hit the Grimm girl a few more times.

 _ **Lay off, Reaper! Do you want to die!?**_

 _I'll die before I let you kill her._

" **Do you** _ **want**_ **me to possess her!?** " Korruption shouted. She had to quickly dodge another attack from Neo. " **Fuck!** "

Neo was relentless with her whip, spinning it this way and that. Korruption only barely managed to keep up, being attacked on two fronts. Reaper was slowing her down somehow, she was sure of it. She somehow managed to bring the blade of Brutal Thorn down on Neo's whip. The point buried into the floor and the umbrella was ripped from Neo's hand. The small girl turned that forward jerk from the disarm into a roll she used to build momentum, running at her opponent.

Korruption swung, and again missed because of Reaper. Neo leapt and grappled Korruption, swinging around her until she built enough leverage to throw the dark girl into the ground. A quick bit of gymnastics saw Neo back on her feet while Korruption was still groaning on the ground.

Getting increasingly pissed, Korruption summoned her corrupted fire and balled it over her fist. She could almost feel Reaper smirk inside her. The fire started spinning out of control long before Korruption could use it in a punch. The flame exploded and knocked her off balance. Neo jumped and twisted, bringing her foot down on the dark woman's jaw and sending her back to the ground.

" **Fine…** " Korruption slowly got to her feet again, " **Maybe I can't fight you… but if you don't let me go, you'll only be killing your precious whatever-the-fuck-you-are-to-each-other. And I'll just float away…** "

"You seem to say that a lot."

Weiss and Blake had finally arrived, grouping behind Neo. "It makes me wonder how true that is," Weiss continued. The three girls from WBRN took up their combat poses, and the slight pressure from the Grimm girl's head felt like a threat from her unwilling host. Korruption raised her weapon to fire. The first shot was blocked by Neo's umbrella, and the second shot shattered the group.

Behind Korruption, Weiss formed a glyph on the ground. Before the creature could turn around, Blake left a Burn clone in the middle of the arcane symbol. Korruption's eyes tracked it just in time to see another glyph launch the fiery aspect her way. It exploded off her, knocking her off balance and lowering her guard. That's when Neo jumped, the small girl attaching herself to Korruption once again.

Neo twisted and swung her way around the girl's body, until she was perched around Korruption's neck and head. The small acrobat brought her weapon up, aiming the point directly where the massive black splotch was on her opponents temple. She stopped, her shaking hand starting to throw off her aim. She couldn't do it. She couldn't deliver a killing blow on Reaper…

Neo's hesitation gave Korruption purchase on the collar of her jacket. The Grimm woman threw the ex-criminal off, and she rolled along the ground to her team mates' feet.

* * *

Ozpin's attempts to patch the generator proved fruitless. As yet another wire sparked in his face, he felt his anxiety rise. One look at the generator was all it took for Ozpin to know his task was a long shot. He still gave it his all, but as he watched a hose he reconnected bust off it's housing again, he knew this was it. He always hated this part… hopefully the girls were far enough away.

* * *

" _ **That's. IT!**_ " Korruption shouted as Neo found her feet again. The splotch seemed to pulse, the dark veins stretching farther across her skin. What part of Reaper that was still conscious could feel the squeeze. The Grimm was doing everything it could to subdue her host. " **No more interruptions, no more close calls for me. I.** _ **WILL**_ **. KILL YOU ALL!** "

She didn't get the opportunity to follow through. An explosion that could likely be heard on the other side of Vale deafened them. Time seemed to slow down as their ears rung. Though they couldn't hear, the vibrations of the other generators being set off in a chain were clear and obvious. The force of the explosion began to crumble the walls around them before the heat and the fire could rush through the halls to meet the girls.

Still, the heat did come. Blake was the first to react, reaching for Weiss's hand. Specifically, the hand holding Myrtenaster. Weiss had the same idea just after her girlfriend, and four hands manipulated the settings of the rapier. Korruption was turning to face the coming fireball, reaching out her hand as if she could stop it. Neo's hand shot forward as well, instinctively reaching out for her Reaper.

Blue dust spread from Myrtenaster's tip as it speared the ground. The particles rose in front of Neo's eyes, and the air around her arm turned cold. For just a moment, the girls' entire world was a chaos of elements. Rubble, fire and ice danced through the air in a deadly ballet. Then all at once rubble fell into place, and the fireball had reached them. The cold air forming around the girls suddenly turned solid, a wall of sheer ice to keep the flames at bay.

Weiss dared to open her eyes. It had taken all of the ice dust in the chamber, but the ice wall remarkably held. They had survived the middle of an explosion. It was difficult to see through the frozen walls, but the girls could tell the building where they were in had completely collapsed. They stood in a crater left by the explosion of nearly a dozen dust generators. There were a few stacks of high rubble where building supports may have been, but the rest of the structure had been decimated.

 _Thud! Thud! Thud!_

Weiss and Blake turned to the source of this sound. Neo was punching the ice, trying to break it, and Weiss could see why. The girl's right arm, almost up to the shoulder, was trapped within the barrier. The walls must have flash-formed with Neo's arm just out of range.

"Watch your head," Weiss addressed Blake before turning to Neo, "Neo! Watch your head!" The heiress yanked her blade out of the ground and the ice barrier began to collapse. The chunks were small enough to not be dangerous, and the wall fell away quickly.

Neo's troubles were not over yet. The small girl's wrist disappeared into one of the larger rubble piles, one that stood where Reaper had been. She grabbed her wrist and pulled, whimpering in pain with each attempt. Blood trickled down the wall from the place where her wrist was trapped between two stones. "Oh no…"

"Weiss, we need to go," Blake called out. With the ice gone, the aftermath of the generators going up was clear to see. The explosions had punched a massive hole into Vale's great wall. A pale blue line of energy trailed across the sky, receding from the damaged power station. "The energy field is failing…"

A screeching sounded through the air. "And the Grimm are coming," Weiss finished. She turned to her struggling team mate, eyeing her arm with apology in her eyes. "I'm sorry Neo…"

Neo looked into her leader's eyes, then back to her trapped wrist. Realization dawned, and the ice-cream themed girl panicked. She shook her head violently. "There's no time, Neo," Weiss told her, aiming Myrtenaster at the spot her wrist disappeared into the rubble. "I'm so sorry."

A black glyph encircled Neo's wrist. The trapped girl continued to shake her head, frightened eyes locked onto the magic circle. It slowly turned red, and Weiss soon swung her rapier away from the rubble. The glyph blasted Neo's arm away from the wall in an arc of blood. The sound of flesh and bone tearing apart and a painful shriek accompanied the small girl's collapse.

It was too much for the small girl. She hadn't gotten any rest since Reaper left Beacon. She was exhausted, and now with her injury she could feel the darkness coming. The last thing she remembered before passing out was another person arriving, though she couldn't make out who they were.

* * *

Neo didn't know how long she was out. She finally woke to see herself inside of an apartment somewhere with no idea where or how she got there. As she took in her surroundings, her memory returned to her with force. She looked down at her right hand, confirming that it was, in fact, missing. Her stump was hastily wrapped in towels and tape, and she could feel ice within the bandage on her raw, exposed nerves. A door near her was slightly open, and she could hear voices drifting through it.

"Aura can only do so much for a wound like that," Weiss stated.

"We have to get her actual care," Blake agreed, "She could lose more than just a hand."

"She'll be fine for at least a few days," A new voice spoke up, rough, calming, yet also familiar. "She has to be. We can't exactly stop by the hospital."

Neo managed to find her feet and make it to the door. On the other side was Blake and Neo, talking to Reaper's uncle, Qrow.

"You're up," Qrow noted, "Good. We need to move, sooner the better."

'How long was I out?' Neo signed slowly, having to spell each letter with her one hand. Her expression was blank, though not difficult to read.

Weiss sighed, "Three hours."

Neo nodded slowly. 'And Reaper?'

"She was on the other side of that rubble, remember?" Blake told her.

 _And you didn't go after her?_ Neo scowled, moving to the window. Her scowl vanished upon seeing the scene outside. From this third-floor window, Neo could see streets flooded with Grimm of all shapes and sizes.

"They all flooded in from the breach the power station left in the wall," Qrow explained. "All the ones who couldn't just fly past the downed energy shields, anyway. The breach is drowning in Grimm, it would have been suicide to stay there any longer than we had to."

"We did look," Blake assured Neo, "but the building was devastated. The search wasn't easy, and we were on a time table."

"We also had to take care of you," Weiss pointed out.

Neo nodded and went back to staring out the window. All these answers where just the answers she was afraid of. She didn't know how to process this new reality. Just yesterday an entire kingdom falling overnight sounded impossible. Now Vale is on the verge of being completely lost, and Reaper wasn't here with her to figure out their next step.

"Beacon has its own defenses, plus it's full of fighters," Qrow spoke up, "We need to get you girls back there."

"What's at Beacon?" Weiss asked.

"Saftey," Qrow answered simply, "And likely an organized rescue effort."

"Oh."

"'Oh'?"

Weiss crossed her arms, "It's just that, Ozpin told me to tell you 'my team is ready'. Search and rescue seems a little… obvious for how cryptic he sounded."

"He said that?" Qrow's thoughts focused on Ozpin's words. He reached for his belt, pulling out the one thing he found in the power stations rubble. An old clockwork cane.

"What's going on?" Blake asked, thoroughly confused.

"I think you girls may have been recruited," Qrow explained.

"For what?" Weiss asked.

"We'll worry about that later. We still need to get to Beacon before all that," Qrow nodded to Neo.

"If we've been recruited, I'd like to know for what _now_." Weiss insisted.

"It's a lot to explain," Qrow brushed off, "The short version is that the parasite the took Reaper came from somewhere. It came from some _one_. And that person has ulterior motives that threaten all of Remnant."

"All of Remnant?" Blake cut in, "Are you talking about a war?"

"That's ridiculous," Weiss interrupted, "We would know if Vale had gone to war."

"Not a war between kingdoms," Qrow announced cryptically. "There's more to this world than any of you realize. Secrets, kept hidden because it's safer that way."

"Any war has an enemy," Blake pointed out.

"And ours, is Salem," Qrow answered. The name itself seemed to bring a silence to the room. Neo was even broken from her reverie, feeling the name was somehow familiar.

The silence that allowed the group to hear thuds and growls a few floors down. "I'll explain everything," Qrow promised, "but we need to move. Our time here is up."

As the others gathered their things, Neo's gaze went back out the window. A shadow war, that's Qrow had described. A secret war, one with motives and consequences far beyond a normal skirmish. And team WBRN had apparently been conscripted. But Neo didn't know if she could fight, and not because of her hand.

Reaper had become a large part of her life. Neo didn't even realize how much until the last few days. Reaper being gone left a deep hole, and already she felt close to falling in it. Could she fight a war if she had nothing to fight for?

"Neo, come on," Weiss called out to her from the door.

The first step to any of it was getting out of Vale. Neo wasn't the suicidal type, she was still every bit the survivor she had always been. Hard-wired instinct was the only fuel that pushed her forward, but it was the only one she needed. With a small nod to Weiss's comment, she turned to follow Qrow and her team.

And it was a survivor's world now. Grimm littered streets, alleyways and rooftops across the city. Creepers, Beowolves, Boartusks, Ursa, King Taijitu, Griffins, Nevermore, Goliaths… The horde had come. Vale had fallen. And in the shadows of the world, the ancient war against darkness would begin anew.

* * *

 **This is not the end**


	28. News

**I knew how I was going to end Black Reaper 2 since before i started writing it. Unfortunately, by the time i got to writing the end, I wasn't as fond of it as I thought I would be. And in the year since, that feeling had only grown. I was far too unispired to begin writing BR3. So, I re-wrote a large portion of this story. Chapters 10 and 19-27 have all had changes large and small. Some are only a removed sentence or two, others include entire scenes. The second half of chapter 16 and the entire chapter 27 have the largest alterations. If you're reading this message, the changes have been made and it is ready to read. Please let me know what you think of the alterations!**

 **\- VengfulFate**


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